A Colonel and his Dog
by bookgal33
Summary: Jack finds a dog on his way home. With puppies. Now with names and descriptions of the puppies!
1. Chapter 1

Jack O'Neill curses as the rain that held off all day starts to splatter on his windshield. By the time he gets home it'll be pouring. He bypasses the highway entrance ramp and drives through town. He's in no mood to sit in traffic with this kind of weather. He spent his whole day writing and reading reports.

A flash of movement on the side of the road has him slowing down. Later on he could never say what had him stop. The car behind him blares it's horn and he waves the guy around him as he pulls onto the shoulder and hits the flashers.

A group of bushes are shivering so he heads that way. Suddenly a thin pointed snout and short triangle flop ears poke through the foliage. Dark brown eyes stare up at him. The dog emerges from the tangle of leaves and stalks closer to him.

Jack can see she's thin and soaking wet. His heart clutches when he sees she's nursing puppies. He keeps his voice low and friendly. "Hi, girl. I'm Jack."

The dog cocks her head and stays low to the ground but moves closer. She's about an arm length away but he stays still. He can see her nostrils quivering as she takes in his scent. She comes closer and sniffs his shoes and legs throughly.

"I feel like you're buying a car, here beautiful." He laughs. The dog looks up at him and finally wags her tail. Jack holds out his fist and she sniffs it. Another wag of her tail confirms her trust. She turns away and heads back to the bushes.

"Hey, come back here!" He chases after her and stops short when she returns with a pup. "Oh." The infant dog is tiny. Probably only a week or so old. "Okay bella. Gotcha. Kids first." He moves carefully to the small nest of puppies. Instinct has them quiet and he scoops up the other three and carries them out to the truck.

He opens the passenger door and Bella hops in. He settles his three pups next to her and looks for a cloth or something. Jack remembers his workout bag and empties out the running shorts and t-shirts and places the puppies into the duffel. The dog sniffs the bag and barks once.

"Yeah, I know. It has to be washed. But it keeps your kids from sliding around and they are warmer in there." Jack shakes his head. "So I'm gonna call you Bella for now, ok?" His new friend barks again and wags her tail. She stares out the windshield and then at him.

She couldn't have made it any clearer if she had shouted. Jack laughs. But in the few minutes it took to find her and the pups, the rain has shifted to sleet and his windshield is starting to freeze over. "Gonna be a few minutes there girl." He tells her as he starts the engine. The heat gets turned up and the vents adjusted. The ice on his windows melt quickly and he pulls out into traffic.

Bella sighs and presses her nose on the side window.

"Nope. Windows stay closed."

Jack swings off the road heading to his place and heads to the strip mall. He remembered seeing a pet superstore there.

"So Bell, what do you need?" At the stoplight he checks for a collar. Her fur is all matted and tangled. Jack shudders to think of the fleas and probably ticks on her. "So probably the works." As the heat has filled the cab she's inched closer to the vents. "Yeah probably feels good."

The pet store is the first turn after the light, so he swings close to the entrance. The truck slides a little as he slows it down. "Aw, crap."

The sleet is turning to freezing rain. "Ok, Bella I'll make this fast. Food, collar, shampoo, bowls and a leash."

He isn't quick enough to keep her in the truck. A sharp bark has him grabbing the wiggling duffel bag.

"Ok, let's try this. Heel." To his surprise she trots at his heel into the store. The duffel bag goes on the seat of the shopping cart and Jack heads straight for the food aisle. He shakes his head at the variety. But he sees food for the pregnant dog and grabs it. Two big bags.

"I know I'm a little late, girl, but hey it should help." The noise from the duffel bag is getting louder. "Damn. Let's pick up the pace."

Jack whips through the rest of the store grabbing bowls, a leash, a blue collar with stars, "You're an Air Force dog now," he tells her. Several chew toys find their way to the cart and a big bottle of dog shampoo. Even a fancy grooming tool. A big bed is the final item. The price tag makes him wince a little.

Back in the truck the duffel bag is whimpering and scooting around. Bella is looking a little desperate and Jack puts the puppies on the seat. They scoot toward their mother and latch on and start to nurse. It's a little crowded on the seat, but it's not far from the store to his place.

Jack hauls his pet store bags into the house and sets up the food and water in his kitchen. The bed gets lined with an old towel and set in a sunny spot in the dining room. Jack dashes out to the truck and unlocks the door.

Bella has been watching out the window. He sees her tail thump as he comes back. She lands next to him and heads off to examine the yard. She picks a spot and squats down by the bushes near the front door.

Jack chuckles as he lifts up the duffel bag. "Yeah, good idea, girl."

Bella follows him into the house and stands waiting while he places the pups in the dog bed. She nudges them in place and heads into the kitchen. He hears her crunching the food and lapping at the water. The scrape of the bowls on the floor pulls his attention away from the chess problem on his board. He hears the click of her nails as she explores the house.

He fills both bowls again and checks on the puppies sleeping in a fur tangle. He nudges the bed into the sunlight a little more for the warmth. Jack settles back into the den with a water and his chess problem. Suddenly a warm weight rests on his knee. He looks up and sees Bella staring up at him. He realizes it's the first time she's actually touched him.

He rubs behind her triangle ears and she closes her eyes and sighs. "You're welcome, girl."

She thumps her tail once and heads into the dining room. Jack leaves the chess board and digs out his address book and calls his old vet.

He fills the water bowl again and she pads into the kitchen to drink. "The kids keep you busy," he tells her. Even though there's still food in her bowl Jack tops it up. Bella hesitates and looks up at him. Jack squats down. "There's always food here, beautiful," he tells her. He turns away and smiles to himself when he hears her eating.

The next morning scratching at his bedroom door reminds him of his new roommate. "Coming, Belle!" he calls out. Bella is at the front door when he comes up the stairs. He lets her out and she dashes to the same area as last night. Overnight the freezing rain turned to snow and his lawn is coated white and sparkling. Bella finds a drift and burrows into it.

Jack laughs as she rolls in the snow and comes up with her head and snout coated white. "You're soaked," he tells her. She bounds over and leans on him. His sweats soak the water off her fur. "And now so am I. If you like water that much, girl, we're gonna have to get you a bath!"

She barks and climbs on the porch. Jack follows her into the kitchen and pours his coffee. Bella slurps up some water and eats a little food and settles in with her puppies for their breakfast.

After a shower and clean clothes he finds a heavy cardboard box and lines it with warm towels. He packs the puppies into the box and heads out to the truck, knowing she'll follow him. She hops in the truck and he slides the box in next to her.

In the vet's waiting room Bella sits and stares at him. "Yeah, I tricked you." He admits. "But we gotta get you and the kids checked out." She nudges the box away from him a little. Jack laughs. When his name is called he picks up the box and Bella follows him. The vet checks over the puppies while Bella prowls the exam room.

"Well, you're right, Jack." The vet tells him. "Probably two weeks old. I'll give you a sheet for the puppies growth before you leave. They're healthy, mostly clean, and active. Nothing too much to worry about here. We'll start vaccinations when they're old enough. Probably chipping them too."

Jack nods. "Thanks Doc."

The vet grins. "Now for mama here." Bella is sitting by the door where she can see the box her pups are in. Jack puts the box down near her and she peers in. One by one each pup gets nudged and licked before she's satisfied.

Jack scoops Bella up in his arms and places her on the table. The vet talks to her quietly as he checks her ears and eyes. Bella whimpers as he takes a blood sample and barks as he takes her temp.

"Sorry, girl. I know it's not dignified." Jack apologizes to her. He rubs her ears until the vet is done. "Well she's thin. Not chipped. No internal damage that I can tell. No scars or cuts." The vet reports. "Luckily she's healthy otherwise. I'll run the stool and blood sample to make sure though."

The vet finally asks the question that's been on his mind. "How'd you find them, Jack?"

Jack quickly tells the vet how he saw the dog on the side of the road and pulled over. The vet whistles. "Lucky for them you stopped. With the weather last night, all five would have frozen." He shakes his head. "Probably someone dumped them all cause they didn't want a bunch of mutts."

Jack growls. "Idiots. So Bella looks like a border collie. Are you sure she's a mutt?"

"Probably. She's a little too big for a pure bred. Guessing some retriever or spaniel in her. Hard to tell with the puppies at this age, but maybe some terrier or a shepherd." The vet shrugs.

"Great, I've got 5 smart hard working dogs." Jack chuckles. "I'm surrounded by geniuses."

The vet looks startled. "Huh?"

He shakes his head. "Nothing Doc."

"One more thing. Bella has a few ticks. I'm going to have my office manager make a groomers appointment for her today. Get her cleaned up. We don't need the pups becoming targets. Or you."

"No problem." Jack scoops up his dog and places her on the floor next to the box. Again she checks each pup out. "When can I get her chipped and spayed and all that?"

The vet thinks about it for a minute. "A few months, I'd say. We have to wait till the pups are weaned before spaying. I can do the chipping then as well. And probably some booster vaccinations."

A few hours later Bella is freshly washed. She's had her paws cleaned and nails clipped. Her tangled and matted fur was clipped and all the fleas and ticks have been taken care of. She trots happily at Jack's side. She waits patiently by the truck as he unlocks his side.

"Home now, girl." He turns on the heat and the radio and heads home. Bella makes her customary stop in the kitchen for food and water before settling into to nurse her babies.

"Hey Jack! Daniel calls for him. He comes down the stairs into the living room.

"Daniel?" He looks at his friend. "What are you doing here?"

"When's the pizza coming? What kind did you order?" Daniel takes a seat across from him.

"Hello?" Carter's voice is heard in the hall. "Sir? Daniel?"

Carter and Teal'c appear in the hallway stair.

"What are you all doing here?" Jack asks. Bella noses her way between all the people in her house.

"It's team night, Jack." Daniel informs him. "Hey where'd the dog come from?"

Bella sniffs at Daniel's legs. She stiffens and sneezes. She sniffs one more time and sneezes again. She backs away and sits by Jack.

Daniel circles back to his question. "When'd you get a dog?"

"Yesterday." Jack quickly explains how he found Bella and her pups.

Meanwhile Bella has moved to examine Carter. She's finding something very interesting about the Major.

Jack chuckles. "She did that to me, Carter."

Sam holds out her hand and gets a tail wag. The dog looks up at Sam with her head cocked. She moves off to examine Teal'c.

Teal'c stands up and startles Bella. "It's okay Teal'c." Jack tells his friend. "She's just gonna smell you out. Get to know you a little."

Suddenly Bella growls. She sniffs at Teal'c's knees and cocks her head and growls again. She backs up and away from the big Jaffa.

She looks at Carter and comes back to smell her. She looks back at Teal'c and then at Carter.

"What's wrong, girl?" Jack asks.

Suddenly Sam understands. "Oh, wow, sir. I think I know." She strokes the dog's head. "I think Bella can smell naquada."

"What?" the rest of the team chorus.

Sam nods. "I think that's why she reacted badly to Teal'c too. "

Daniel and Colonel O'Neill exchange baffled glances. Teal'c nods. "Indeed, MajorCarter. She must have sensed my symbiote, which is a danger to her."

"How?" Jack bursts out.

"Have you not called the Go'auld a snake, O'Neill?" Teal'c observes. "A dog has a keen sense of smell. Perhaps the symbiote I carry smells similar to a reptile."

"Yeah!" Daniel has been thinking. "We used to have dogs on digs to warn of cobras. I bet the dog-"

"Bella," Jack interrupts. "I named her Bella." He reminds Daniel.

His friend nods. "So I bet Bella can smell the symbiote. I bet it's also why she was so interested in Sam."

"How so?"

Sam picks up the story. "Well, because I was host to Jolinar I have naquada in my blood. It's altered my body chemistry, according to Dr. Frasier. I bet Bella could smell it. But she doesn't know what it is, so it confused her."

"My dog is allergic to Daniel," Here Jack aims a smirk at his friend. "But can sense Go'auld?" They all look at the dog who is being petted by Sam.

"Fifth team member, Jack." Daniel suggests. The team laughs. Bella stands up and disappears into the dining room.

"So Jack when's the pizza coming?" Daniel asks again.

"I ordered pizza on the way here, sir." Carter assures him.

Jack smiles at her. "Thanks Major."

Just then the doorbell rings. Daniel unfolds himself from the love seat and answers the door. He ferries in the pizza after paying the delivery guy.

Bella looks up as the four humans file into her room. She growls at Teal'c and all the people near her puppies.

"It's okay, girl." Jack assures her. He loads his plate with sausage and mushroom pizza slices. He shooes his team out and watches Bella in her bed. He smiles at the small family and returns to his.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack muffles a yawn as the post mission briefing goes on. Even Daniel seems to have drifted away from the scientist currently filling in General Hammond about every thought he had during the 4 day mineral and plant survey.

Carter is doodling naquada generators on her pad. She meets the Colonel's eyes and grimaces.

"So you agree, Major Carter?" the scientist asks her.

Sam snaps to attention and tries to remember what the new biologist was talking about. Jack hides a grin. It's rare his second in command is caught off guard.

"Well this isn't really my field of expertise, Doctor. I would want to see your reports before rendering a final opinion." Carter smoothly says.

Daniel's eyebrows shoot to his hairline at that line and he scribbles something on his pad. Next to Daniel Teal'c has his eyes closed and is leaning back in the chair, breathing lightly. Jack wonders when he went into kel'nor'eem.

Jack bites back another yawn, sips his coffee and checks his watch. "Going somewhere, Colonel?" Hammond asks. The big, blunt Texan stares down the table at his impatient team leader.

"Just have to get home to pay the dog sitter, sir." Jack smiles sweetly at his CO. Hammond checks the clock and nods. In truth, he let the scientist talk too long. Something he'll have to correct next time. Hammond makes a note for future briefings.

"I want everyone's final mission reports on my desk in two days by 1500 hours ." Hammond stands up and his officers shoot to their feet. "Dismissed, people." He disappears into his office.

Daniel gathers up his notes and coffee cup and leaves with the scientist. Sam follows them out. Teal'c has moved in his usual quiet fashion and waits at the door for O'Neill.

"Who did you find to watch over Bella and her children, O'Neill?" Despite Bella's objection to the big guy several of her puppies have taken to Teal'c. Jack thinks it's cause he has no problem with the puppies crawling all over him and he's a nice, warm place to sleep when they conk out. Jack's mouth twitches at the thought of the pups draped over Teal'c at the last team night he hosted. Who knew that Teal'c was a dog person? He's taken a keen interest in the puppies as they start to explore and grow.

"My vet recommended a few people." Jack swallows the last of his coffee and closes his briefing folder. He makes a face at the taste of the cold coffee. He leaves the empty mug on the coffee tray by the star map. Hammond looks up and Jack waves at him. Turning back to Teal'c he continues. "I hired a college kid who works part time in the vet's office." Jack moves forward only to be stopped by his friend.

Teal'c blocks the doorway. "And?" The infamous eyebrows pull down.

"Oh for crying out loud." Jack scowls. "Bella liked her. I asked for references and even did a quick background check." Jack burst out. "Satisfied?" He asks his friend.

Teal'c relaxes. "Indeed."

Jack opens the front door and is greeted by a happy bark and a wagging tail. Bella's fluffy white tipped black tail sweeps back and forth and she bounces in place. Bella dances down the stairs and looks back at Jack standing in the door. She rushes back at him and leans on his legs.

"Okay, beautiful. I'm home." He rubs her head and neck the way she likes.

The pet sitter comes in holding one of the puppies, and greets him. "Hi Colonel Jack. Welcome home."

The five week old pup, he thinks it's Jester, barks and wriggles to get down. The puppy takes two running steps toward Jack and trips over his paws and sprawls out on the hall floor. Yep, it's Jester. Aside from being the clumsy, goofy one he has the most white on his face, making him look a little like a mime. Bella leaves Jack and noses her son up on his feet and pushes him into the dining room.

"Hi Niki," He smiles at the young woman. "How was everything?"

"Good. Bella is eating well, the puppies are starting to show interest in food and finding their legs. Some better than others," the young woman chuckles.

"I have to say, Colonel Jack, Bella is such a good dog. I'm amazed how well trained she is."

Jack nods. That has surprised him as well. It also makes him wonder if Bella was really dumped with her pups or got lost somehow. "Yeah. She heeled like 10 minutes after I found her. And while she doesn't like the vet, she is familiar with it." Jack remembers the looks he got after taking her kids to the vet for various check ups beyond the first time.

"She's so smart." His dog sitter marvels. Bella comes back into the hall and sits on Jack's foot. "I wonder if she got lost or something."

Jack shrugs, "With four newborn puppies?" He keeps coming back to that fact. No matter how well trained and smart a dog is, they wouldn't leave a safe place with new puppies.

The young woman's face falls. "You're right. I just hate the fact that she was abandoned."

There's nothing he can say to that, so he writes her a check. Bella politely licks the dog sitter's hand and gets a head pat in return. "Thanks, Niki," he tells her.

"You bet. See you next time!" She has her bag and waves goodbye as she starts her car and drives away.

Bella hops on the couch next to him and leans in. "So missed me, huh?" She sighs and lays down with her head on his legs. "Teal'c wants to know how you guys were." He tells her. "The big guy is a big softy, you know. It's just Jr you have to watch out for." He strokes her head as he talks.

Jack continues to tell his dog all about the trip through the gate and the three days of hiking through ruins and trees. A soft snore interrupts his musings about the destroyed city. Bella is fast asleep. He chuckles. "I gotta tell Daniel this." Shifting wakes her up and she hops off the couch and pads into the dining room. She settles into the bed where the puppies tumble over her but a few nudges quiet them down.

Jack follows her into the dining room and checks out the rest of the kids. Jester trips over the bed trying to get to him and rolls into a ball. Undaunted he gathers his feet under him and tries again. Aria, the noisy one, barks until he picks her up so she can bathe his face with kisses.

"Yeah, all right girl." Jack holds her away. "I missed you too." He puts the black, tan and white puppy back near her sister and rubs Mab's head. The nearly all black puppy wags her tail and shifts so he can scratch her ears. Jack chuckles and obliges. Merlin, the runt of the litter, has taken advantage of the excitement at seeing Jack to latch on and nurse without interruption. His white tipped tail and thin white stripe that bisects his head make the little pup easy to spot among his litter mates.

Bella stands up and dislodges Merlin from nursing. She disappears into the kitchen and the little dog follows her. Rattling and scraping noises tell him Merlin is still figuring out this dog food thing. Jack laughs when Merlin comes back in with his face and ears all wet. Still figuring out the water bowl too. He scoops up the puppy and sits with him on the couch until Bella comes back to her spot next to him.


	3. Chapter 3

It's easier getting the puppies into the truck to go to their vet appointment than it is for their mother. Bella has been to the vet a few too many times these last weeks. She likes riding in the truck, but she's a little suspicious when the kids come with them. Even outings to the dog park take a while to convince her she's not going to the doctor. Jack sympathizes.

The last time they all got in the truck the pups were all over the place. The cardboard box is all chewed up. Not to mention they can crawl out easily. The vet suggested crate training. That was the easy part. He did not expect Teal'c to come with him to the pet store and examine every kennel and crate.

"C'mon buddy." Jack shifts impatiently in the kennel aisle. "People spend less time picking out cribs for their kids than we've spent looking at crates."

Teal'c turns and stares at him. "Do you not want the best for the puppies, O'Neill?"

Jack shifts again. "Yeah. Sure. But they're still growing." Jack shrugs. "My vet even suggested I rent a few."

Teal'c stares at him again. One eyebrow pulls down. Jack surrenders to the inevitable. "Fine. Pick them out." Lugging four crates, with room to grow, to the register takes time. Jack stares when his friend pulls out a credit card. Teal'c never blinks when the total is given. Makes sense. It's not like he has a lot to spend his money on. He just never thought Teal'c as having credit cards.

At home, Bella sniffs the crates and goes to check out her food dish. Mab settled right into a crate and flopped down into a nap. One white paw peeks out of her crate. Aria barks at all of them until her mother comes back into the dining room. One nudge quiets the loud little puppy. Aria growls at the crates and flops into the dog bed. Jack could swear she's pouting. Jester noses into the crates. The clumsy little puppy is cautious as he examines each of them. Finally he picks one and sits in the doorway.

Merlin is standing watching all the action. The way he cocks his head and watches everyone reminds Jack of someone. Finally he curls up next to Aria and falls asleep.

Jack shrugs. "Well it's half of them."

Teal'c sips at the ginger ale he got out of the fridge. "If Daniel Jackson and Major Carter were here, they might help."

Jack narrows his eyes. "You invited them over?" he guesses.

Teal'c inclines his head.

"There better be Chinese food." He mumbles. Teal'c nods.

"With extra potstickers." Teal'c adds.

A knock on the door wakes Aria and she runs barking to the front hall. Her tan tipped tail sweeps back and forth. Daniel opens the door and she shakes in excitement and barks louder. She jumps up on Daniel's knees and he staggers a little.

"Geez, Daniel. Shut her up." Jack yells. He takes the bags of food from Carter and they escape into the kitchen. The three other members of the team hear Daniel crooning to Aria.

Sam giggles as the archeologist comes in carrying the puppy who's wriggling to get closer to him. "Someone's got a crush," she teases her friend.

"Look who's talking." Jack nods to her feet. Jester has come into the kitchen and is sitting on Sam's foot. He's staring up at her and the tip of his tongue peeks out of his mouth. Sam bends down and scrubs Jester's ears and his black and white tail thumps happily.

Sam shrugs. "I've had worse relationships." She picks up her chicken and snow peas and sails out of the kitchen with Jester following at her heels. The three men remember Sam's ex fiance who nearly killed them all with his insanity. They share a look and laugh.

Sam settles in the love seat and Jester tries to jump in her lap. He tumbles off the chair and onto the floor twice, before settling under the coffee table. Sam giggles at his antics.

Bella jumps off the couch as Jack comes down the stairs. Sitting up straight she stares behind him to where Daniel is carrying Aria in one hand and his plate of beef and broccoli over his head. The active puppy is straining to reach the plate.

"I saw that, Bella." Her ears twich but she ignores him. A yap draws her attention. Mab has jumped into Teal'c's lap. The fearless little pup is greeting her favorite person with kisses.

Bella nudges her puppy away from Teal'c and back toward Jack's seat. Mab avoids her mother and slithers under the table to get to Teal'c. Bella barks at her and tries again. But Mab has tucked herself under the chair that Teal'c is sitting in. She wriggles so her black head is resting on his shoes and the rest of her body is protected by his legs.

Jack pets his dog. "She's got ya there, Bella."

Carter has noticed there's one dog missing. "Sir, where's Merlin?" A short bark draws everyone's attention. The final puppy dashes down the stairs and takes a flying leap into Jack's lap.

"Drama prince." Jack grumbles. His team laughs.

Daniel swallows a big bite of beef and asks, "How'd you come up with the names, Jack?"

Carter looks up interested.

Jack settles back into his chair. "No big secret." Merlin nudges his hand so Jack continues stroking the pup's head. "They're all characters from different operas."

"What?" Daniel is surprised.

"Jester reminds me of Pagliacchi. He looks like a mime with that white face and the white front paws." Jack shrugs. "So Jester was a good name. Plus he's goofy."

Sam giggles. She's put her food aside and has hoisted the clumsy, goofy pup into her lap. "True."

"Mab, is the Queen of the fairies. She's the fearless one." Jack grins at her snoozing on the Jaffa's shoes.

Daniel's eyes light up. "Right, mentioned in Shakespeare too."

Teal'c's dark eyes gleam. "A regal name for a warrior's companion." He smiles at his friend.

"And Aria, well she's the noisy one. First to learn how to bark and hasn't stopped since. Hits a lot of high notes." Jack laughs.

Sam has been following the conversation and laughs. "She's the Daniel of the litter."

"HEY!" Daniel protests over the laughs of his friends. Aria barks happily from his lap. Her one white ear and one black ear make her look lopsided as her tail whips back and forth.

"So what about Merlin?" Daniel nods at the remaining dog.

"Oh, that was easy." Jack tells them. "He's the smart one. He disappears and appears like magic. Especially when there's food. He's the runt, so he figured out quick how to nurse when his littermates were sleeping or distracted."

"And he likes to make an entrance," Carter jokes.

"So, Jack you're saying that Merlin is like Sam, Aria like me," Daniel makes a face. "Mab is like Teal'c and Jester is you?"

"Nope, not saying that at all." Jack drawls. His gaze settles on Carter who's slowly petting Jester as he snoozes in her lap. Sam blushes when she notices her CO looking at her.

"But,"

"I believe MajorCarter said that, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c points out. "And she only compared you and Aria."

"Oh, right." Daniel replays the previous conversation in his head and nods a few times. Aria stands up on her hind legs and scrabbles at his shoulders. "Okay girl. I love you too." He picks her up and sets her down on his legs.

"Are you going to keep them all, sir?" Carter asks curiously.

Jack shakes his head. "I talked to my vet about adopting them. He's keeping an ear open. Dave Dixon sent me an email about one too."

"You're in contact with Dave Dixon?" Daniel's surprised.

"Yeah," Jack answers. "Hammond told me he's gonna command a team. His family's coming out soon. Dave says they're bugging him for a dog."

Teal'c sits up. Mab whimpers as her head shifts. "Who have you thought about for Colonel Dixon?" his eyebrows come down. He reaches down and scoops up the pup in one hand. Bella sits up and watches him. Teal'c places the sleepy dog on his leg and she sprawls out. The splotch of white on her nose and the one white paw stand out against his dark slacks. Bella relaxes and puts her head back on her paws.

"Not sure, T." He answers. Jack grins at the sight of the puppy totally relaxed on the Jaffa's knee. He grabs for the digital camera he's had around since the dogs arrived. He snaps a quick one of Teal'c and Mab and another of Carter with Jester in her lap. Aria perks her ears up at the clicks and sits up and waits for the photo.

"Ham," Daniel says. He gestures to Jack for the camera and snaps one of Jack surrounded by Bella and Merlin.

"I was gonna introduce Dixon to all the dogs and see." Jack finishes answering Teal'c.

"You will let me know when that happens." Teal'c tells his friend.

"You bet." In truth he doesn't mind. If Dixon brings his kids the place will be chaos.

"We'd all like to be there, sir." Carter says. "It's been a while since I've seen Col. Dixon and I'd like to meet his kids."

Jack nods again. Bella ends the conversation by standing up and heading to the door. Merlin and Aria follow their mother to the front door. Teal'c and Sam carry their pups out to the door and all five dogs head outside. Bella heads to her spot and the pups trail after her sniffing and barking


	4. Chapter 4

At six weeks the puppies are eating him out of house and home. All four of them have taken to crate training and Bella gets the dog bed to herself a lot more. That's the scene when he comes home from a rare boring day in the mountain. No off -world missions, no weird diseases, and no alien invasions. He wandered through the halls, bugged Carter and Daniel and wrote up his reports. It was nice, although he prefers going through the gate.

"Almost like having a normal job," he mumbles as he closes the front door. He keeps an eye on the floor. The puppies are learning about house training, but they're puppies, so he walks carefully. His dogsitter comes by every few hours to let the pups out. There was that incident with the puppy pads the second week, so he decided a back up plan was a good thing.

In the dining room, which he hasn't used in weeks, all 5 dogs are asleep. Bella is sprawled out in her bed with her feet in the air. Merlin and Mab have collapsed in the doorways of their kennels and Jester has curled up in the end of his. Only a flash of white from his tail shows. Aria is sleeping under the table. He shakes his head at that.

"I'm home." He calls out. Bella's head comes up and she rolls over and on her feet. Meeting him, she leans on Jack's legs and licks his hand. She barks once and trots to the front door. He recognizes her signal for out and follows her to the door.

The puppies wake up and groggily follow their mother. Only after they get to the door do they all realize Jack's home. He knows what will happen so he quickly opens the door and the dogs pile out in a river of black, white and splotches of tan fur.

Bella heads straight to her end of the yard with Merlin following her. Like his mother, he's less distracted by outside influences. Jack has been thinking of entering the pup into guide dog training. Merlin hasn't taken to other people like his littermates. He's only bonded with Jack so far. Jack admits he's going to have a hard time giving him up.

Aria, Mab, and Jester get all excited at seeing Jack and end up peeing on the front porch. Aria squats and Jack claps his hands. She's startled at the loud noise and barks up at him. Jack scoops her up and rushes down to the bathroom end of his yard. Jester races ahead. Having finally figured out his feet he's getting pretty fast. He barks happily as he runs.

"Let's go out, girl." Jack uses the words his vet gave him to reinforce house training. He puts her down and she runs after her littermates.

"Whew." He's getting a little tired of rinsing off his porch.

After all the dogs have been emptied he cleans up the area. Bella appears with her favorite ball and drops it a few times. She sits at his feet and waits.

"Subtle." Jack heaves the ball and she races after it.

Merlin sticks by him as Jack heaves the blue rubber ball again and again. Bella runs, catching it on the first hop most times. Suddenly she stiffens and growls. One sharp bark and the pups gather behind Jack and their mother.

Jack looks up and Dave Dixon gets out of the Jeep in his driveway.

"Hey, Jack!" Dix waves to him.

"Dix." He looks down at the dogs. "It's okay, guys." Bella relaxes, but stays where she is. The puppies scramble out behind their mother. Free to check out the visitor they head toward Dix. Aria suddenly gets distracted by her tail and starts chasing it. Jester only wanted the ball and is now dropping it at Jack's feet, hopefully. Mab and Merlin sniffed the new guy then started chasing each other.

"Saw the throw. Mama dog is a pretty good fielder." Dixon jogs over to his fellow Colonel.

"Bella." Jack tells him. "The little black pup with the white paw is Mab, the one chasing her tail is Aria." Jack looks down and sees his shadow. Merlin has left his sister and is sitting next to Jack. "This is Merlin and Jester is chewing on the ball." Dixon looks around and spots all the dogs.

"And I thought my house was rough with three kids and one on the way." Dixon chuckles.

Bella decides to check out Dixon. She circles him and catalogs all the interesting smells.

"Want a beer?" Jack offers.

Dave nods. He follows O'Neill to the side porch. Jack disappears in the house and comes out with two beers. The dogs come up on the porch and find spots to rest. Bella sits in front of Dave's chair and studies him.

"Your dog is a little scary, there Jack." Dave says after the first sip.

He laughs. "Yep." Jack takes another sip. "She's deciding if she likes you. Took a while for Carter. She still doesn't trust Teal'c."

Dixon looks up, surprised. "Why?" Granted he's biased, having seen him in action more than once, but he can't imagine Teal'c harming an animal or child.

O'Neill shrugs. "Daniel and Carter think that she can sense the symbiote." Dix nods. Makes sense. In weird Stargate sort of way. O'Neill continues, "She tries to keep the kids away from him, but Mab loves him."

Dixon laughs. O'Neill smirks. "Yeah, it's funny. We've got pictures."

Suddenly Bella moves closer to Dix and nudges his hand. He strokes her head and her tail wags.

"Well, that's one down."

Dixon makes no move to check out the pups. He continues to stroke Bella's head and drink his beer.

"I had another reason for coming out," he says.

Jack puts his beer bottle down. He's wary. "Yeah?" he says shortly.

"Hammond gave me files for my team. You know them?"

Jack sits back in his chair. "Probably."

"Balinsky, Bosworth, Wells." Bella has sensed the tension between the two men and leaves Dave to sit near Jack. Bella puts her head on Jack's knee. He smirks at the other Colonel.

Aria scrabbles at Dixon's knees barking to be picked up.

"If you ignore her, she'll stop." Jack raises his voice to be heard. Bella barks once and Aria quiets down.

"Or that." Dixon hauls Aria into his lap. "Still learning, huh little girl?" She settles into a comfortable spot and nudges his hand to pet her.

"You have to ask Daniel about Balinsky. I know him by sight." Jack brings the conversation back to what Dix asks.

"Wells is good guy. Has had a few injuries lately. Just got married." Jack shrugs. "I think he's a little careless."

Dixon looks up. He stops petting Aria and she whimpers and shifts. He scratches her ears. He's surprised at the classification."Cause he got injured?"

O'Neill sips the last of his beer. "Nope. Cause he got married." The bottle hits the table with a clink.

Dave rears back in shock. He still can't get used to the bluntness O'Neill uses with him. "Jesus, you're a bastard."

"Yep." Unconcerned at the judgement, he leans forward in his chair. "Look, you and I both know if your head isn't in the game, people die. Maybe you, maybe your teammates. Maybe even someone at the SGC. If he's thinking about an argument he had with his wife, the new house, even training a dog." Jack looks at the five dogs on his porch and smiles a little, "You aren't paying attention to the mission. Wells has been off lately."

Dave nods. He did ask. "Yeah, okay."

"You asked. You did want the truth, right? I don't know what's on his mind, but he's gotten hurt three times in the last year. Some of it, bad luck." Jack leans back. He strokes Bella's head as she grumbles at the shift. "We've all had our share."

Dave agrees with him.

"But if this was the team at the Pentagon and one of your guys got hurt 3 times in the same year?" He ignores the wince Dave gives. "What would you do?"

He nods again. He's been thinking too much about the off world part and not enough about the team itself. "Yeah. He'd go on down time. I'd send him to the docs. He'd go home until I was sure his head was back in the game."

"Bingo. Bosworth's a good guy. A bit of a smart ass." Jack grins. "But he's enlisted."

The two officers laugh. They both know how important it is to have enlisted guys who aren't afraid to speak their minds.

Aria has fallen asleep in Dave's lap.

"Well that's the quietest she's been in weeks." Jack jokes. He's pretty sure Aria has just adopted her human. She loves Daniel, but she's never fallen asleep in his lap.

"In my house that's not good." He scoops up the pup and puts her on her feet. Aria whimpers and flops down with her brothers and sister. She barks once. "Mind if I bring the family to meet the dogs?"

Jack nods. "Gotta warn you, my team has to approve this."

"Family, huh?" Dave smiles.

"Teal'c isn't letting one dog go to anyone he doesn't approve of." Jack tells him. "He bought the kennels. And he had to meet my dog sitter." They share another laugh. "Carter and Daniel want to catch up and meet your family. Come by this weekend. We'll have a cook out."

The next day Janet Frasier tracks him down. "Sir!"

He winces. He probably forgot a check up or something. "Hey, Doc."

"Sam says you are having a cook out with Dave Dixon and his family." The petite doctor stares at him.

"Yep. Want in?" He's relieved that it's not medical.

"Cassie will be thrilled. She's been wanting to see the puppies." Janet smiles at him and continues down the hall.


	5. Chapter 5

Jack's yard is controlled chaos. Kids and dogs run up and down. Bella's exhausted and decided to stick with Jack on the porch. He's been tossing her small bits of beef to keep up her strength. She's the only member of the team who hasn't complained about his cooking. Carter, the Doc and Lainie Dixon have taken over his side porch. He hears snatches of conversation once in a while. Sounds like they are talking about schools, the best places for coffee, and doctors. Dix told him they weren't moving till the new baby comes, but that's in a few months.

Cassie has appointed herself keeper of the puppies. She passes by every once in a while with a different dog. He's not sure what she's doing, but everyone seem to be happy. Cass confused Bella at first. Another support for the dog can sense naquadah theory. She wasn't sure about letting the teenager handle the pups until Janet let Cassie's dog out of the car. Now it's fine. Cass's dog follows her up and down the yard while she plays with the kids.

Dave comes up for another drink. He collapses on the bench. "Teal'c is the only one who can keep up with all of them." He guzzles from the water bottle he fished out of the cooler. Dixon is right. Teal'c barely breaks a sweat herding dogs and kids.

Aria climbs the porch, hops over her mother and jumps up on Dave's lap. "OW!" She's landed paws first on his crotch.

Jack snickers. "Lainie probably taught her that one." Aria has checked out every Dixon family member, but keeps coming back to Dave.

Dave ignores him. "Hey, little girl." He rubs her ears and she snuggles in. Jack thinks again that Aria has chosen her family. Besides from what he's seen she's the perfect fit for two growing boys and a little girl who's insisting on keeping up with her brothers. Aria's loud enough, confident enough, and active enough to fit in with the Dixons.

Jack hands Dix a burger. "Gonna need this to go back out there."

Daniel grabs a soda. "Make sure it's just not charred on the outside, Dave." Jack makes a face at his friend. Aria thumps her tail at hearing Daniel, but stays right where she is. A hurt look crosses his face.

Dix catches it. "What's wrong, Jackson?" He puts his burger down.

Daniel laughs. "Nothing. It's just up till now, I was her favorite." He nods at the dog in Dave's lap.

That realization hits Dixon. "Huh, so we've been adopted?"

The guys laugh. "Well, if anyone was gonna do it, it was Aria." Jack says. The confident little dog barks in agreement.

Dave gets up. "Guess I better tell Lainie." He tucks the dog under his arm and heads off to see his wife. Aria's tail whips back and forth.

"I feel like my girlfriend just broke up with me to date the quarterback." Daniel says. Bella has pushed herself to her feet and is following Dave. Jack snorts with laughter.

"You laugh now, but when you have to hand over Merlin, I'll remember this." Daniel threatens.

Jack looks around for 'his' puppy and sees that Merlin has hopped on Dixon's empty chair and is now eating his burger.

"Merlin!" Jack shouts. The puppy looks over his shoulder, grabs the rest of the burger and bolts.

"Damn. He'll probably throw it up later." Jack grumbles.

"Your cooking isn't that bad." Daniel says with a straight face. He pokes at the burgers and sees they aren't too burned. He slaps one together and joins Cassie and the kids. Jack scowls at his friend's back.

Dave comes back. Aria has joined the kids. "Well, Lainie agreed and Bella inspected all the kids." Bella settles back down under the chair. Close enough to get snacks, far enough from the grill that she's not too hot.

"I think we passed." Dave chuckles. Bella barks and puts her head down on her paws and closes her eyes.

"Here," Jack passes him another burger. "Merlin ate the other one. Sorry." Jack flips a few more burgers. "Yeah you passed." Teal'c has given him the nod earlier.

Cassie leads a storm of kids onto the porch and he hands out food.

"Colonel Jack!" The oldest Dixon boy tackles him in a hug. "Thank you for our dog!"

Jack hugs him back. "She picked you," Jack tells him. "That's really special." Jack has hunkered down to the boy's eye level. "Aria saw your family and wanted to be part of it."

The little girl's eyes widen. "Wow."

Jack smiles at her. "But that means you gotta teach her how to behave and keep her healthy."

"Dad says it's a big deal to have a dog."

Jack nods. "Your dad is right."

Later that night Jack and the Dixon's agree on a handover date for Aria. The kids wanted to take her home that night. But their mother reminded them they were heading back to Virginia in a week.

"Aww, Mom." They chorus.

Carter comes up with a compromise as always. "What about having her visit the new house? So she can get used to you and her new home?"

A relieved expression flashes over Lainie Dixon's face. Dave agrees it's better to keep the dog here with him, since they aren't going to be in Virginia much longer.

"So your Dad will have the dog at home, and she'll be there waiting for you," Jack agrees.

They all agree that Aria can visit them the next day. The kids all pet their new puppy and say goodnight to the newest family member. Dave and Lainie herd their brood into the car.

"See you on base." Dixon waves to the team.

"BYE!" the kids chorus.

SG-1 and the rest of the group settle into the house as it's gotten cooler. Bella flops down under the coffee table and the pups tumble into the kitchen. Barking and scraping of food bowls are heard.

"Well, that's one home found," Daniel finally says.

"They'll let you visit, Daniel," Jack teases.

The others laugh.

"Just you wait, when your puppy gets adopted." Daniel says to his friends.


	6. Chapter 6

The security guard stares in the back seat of Colonel O'Neill's truck. Four dog kennels are lined up. Whimpers and barks are heard from the crates. In the front seat a black and white dog is watching him.

"Sir?" The guard looks from the dogs to the Colonel.

O'Neill smiles at the guards. "It's okay Airman. Hammond knows I've got the dogs with me."

"Uh, if you don't mind, sir?" The guard picks up the phone. He is heard being connected to General Hammond. The word dogs and Colonel O'Neill float over to the truck.

Bella flops on the pups whimper at their continued confinement. Merlin has his face pressed up to the mesh of the crate and whines. Aria suddenly decides to bark her displeasure. Jester is scratching at the floor of his crate. Mab is the only quiet one, but that's because she's mad at him, so she's in the back of her kennel.

The airman nods a few times and smiles. He hangs up the phone and waves the Colonel through. "Go ahead, sir." The airman shakes his head as the green Ford truck pulls away. He can hear the barks and whimpers as the truck drives away.

Jack attaches the leashes to the pups as they come out of the kennels. Mab growled at him when he opened the door. "Yeah, I know. You don't like the kennel when I make you go in." She turns her back on him. "You want to see Teal'c, right?" He rolls his eyes. He's bribing a puppy. She finally allows him to put a leash on her.

He looks down at Bella. "Can you stick with me, girl?" Bella hops out of the truck and waits patiently for him. Thank god for a well trained dog. The puppies bark and jump on him excited about being out of their crates. Soon he's tangled in the leashes. "Oh for crying out loud!"

"Hi, sir." Sam has snuck up on him and is biting her lip. The sight of her CO tangled up with four puppies is priceless. She wishes she had a camera.

Jester tries to run to Sam and pulls Jack off balance. The dog nearly strangles himself before he calms down. Sam props up her CO before he tumbles to the ground.

"Thanks, Carter." He looks down at his legs wrapped in blue, red, and green leashes. "Uh, could you help me out here?"

She laughs. "Sure, sir." Sam unhooks Jester and tucks him under her arm while pulling his green leash out from the knot around O'Neill's legs. Jester's tail whips back and forth slapping into Sam's back. She hooks the leash back to the pup's collar. "I hope he stays still," she muses. She sets him down and he plops down next to her, panting happily. Jester has no intention of going anywhere.

Mab is next. Sam hands the dog to Jack and untangles the leash. It dangles from the collar as Jack lectures the dog in his arms. "I told you to behave. We had an understanding, remember? You get to visit Teal'c, if there's no funny business." Mab barks at the mention of Teal'c. She gets close enough to lick his face. "Gah." Jack spits out some dog hair. "So you're not mad at me anymore," he observes to the dog.

Sam manages to untangle the other two dogs. She tries to keep a straight face while her CO continues to talk to the puppy. Suddenly she realizes that Bella is gone. Sam sighs when she catches sight of the dog over her shoulder. Bella has gotten bored and is marking her territory a few yards away.

"If you don't mind my asking, sir?" Sam looks around at all the dogs. "Why are you bringing the dogs to base?"

"Dixon is taking Aria home today. Siler asked about adopting one. And one of Frasier's nurses." Jack replays that in his head. "One of the nurses is looking for a dog. Siler didn't ask about adopting the nurse." Jack winces at his sloppy sentences. "I understand, sir." Carter laughs.

He shrugs. "Instead of making them all come to my place one at a time, I thought it'd be easier to just have a meet and greet on base. I'm gonna set them up in my quarters with the puppy pads."

Teal'c appears suddenly. "O"Neill. MajorCarter." Mab jumps at Teal'c and he expertly scoops the dog out of the air. "Hello Mab." He inclines his head. The black pup settles into Teal'c's arms.

Something like relief crosses O'Neill's face. "T! Can you get some of the dog stuff out of my truck?"

"Indeed." Catching the keys Jack tosses to him, Teal'c leads Mab back to the truck.

"I'll walk Jester down for you, sir." Carter calls to Bella as well. She leaves off sniffing the edges of the parking lot and trots over to stand next to Sam. She pats Bella on the head and disappears into the hallway leading to the elevators with the two dogs.

Jack is left with Aria and Merlin. "C'mere." He scoops up the two dogs and hustles into the hall. Aria barks at all the airmen. Her tail wags as she greets everyone.

"Uh, sir?" The SF stops him. "You need to sign in and get scanned."

Jack hands over Aria to the SF and has his palm scanned. He scribbles his name on the duty sheet. Aria is thrilled about meeting a new friend and licks the guard's face. When the SF hands the puppy back to the Colonel, Aria barks goodbye over his shoulder at everyone. In contrast Merlin is quiet and happy at his side. Snickers are heard as he turns the corner to the elevator banks.

By the time Jack gets off the elevator on level 25 his ears are ringing. Aria has barked at every person who got on the elevator. The scientists, Siler, a few medical staff, airmen and the security forces heading on and off duty. She's been thrilled at all the new people. Merlin has sat quietly watching everyone come and go. He sniffed an occasional interesting person, but stayed close to Jack.

"You are so going to fit in with Dixon's kids." He tells her. Remembering the controlled chaos of the cook out he shakes his head. Aria is more like a friendly retriever than any of her siblings.

Carter is waiting at the door of his quarters with Bella and Jester. Teal'c and Mab appear out of the stairwell. Teal'c has a bag of dog stuff slung over his shoulder and Mab on the leash. She is, of course, behaving perfectly for the Jaffa.

Jack unlocks the door and Bella steps in carefully. She noses into all the areas. It smells a little strange, but is familiar enough that she's soon comfortable. Bella enters the small bathroom and comes out with a t-shirt in her mouth.

"Hey!" Jack chases her into a corner. Bella ducks out around him and stops in the middle of the room. She hunkers down, tail wagging. She grins around the shirt in her mouth.

His team laughs. "Bella wishes to play, O'Neill." Teal'c observes.

"Yeah, well we have a briefing in twenty." He leaves his dog with his shirt. He has others. He thinks it's probably comforting in this strange place. He rubs her ears.

Sam has set up the puppy pads next to the desk and is pouring out the food into the dishes. Jester dives face first into the puppy food. Nuggets scatter all around the dish. Mab, Aria and Merlin rush to clean it up. Sam giggles at their antics. They're gangly now and don't all fit around the dishes anymore. Pushing and shoving each other to get to the food. They'll get used to their growth spurts soon.

The snap and tear of Velcro recalls the team to business at hand.

"Okay guys." Jack calls out, "Be good. Be home soon." Bella flops down in the center of the rug. Jack closes the door and swipes it locked. Yips are heard behind the door.

"They do that everytime I leave the house." Jack chuckles. "I'm never sure if it's guilting me into coming back or they are excited to play without an adult."

"Nice of you to join us, Colonel O'Neill," Hammond says. His steely glare makes Jack grimace.

"Sorry, sir. I got stopped by people asking to see the dogs." Jack hustles to his seat. The team is startled at his explanation.

"Ah, yes." Hammond softens a little. Jack hides a smile. Hammond likes dogs.

Hammond turns to Daniel. "What have you got for us, Dr. Jackson?" The general folds his hands in front of him.

When Jack gets back from the briefing he has a line of people following him to his quarters. "Now I know how the Pied Piper felt," he mutters. He unlocks the door to his quarters and the base personnel hear the barking. They start to smile.

The Colonel turns to the people behind him, "Ok, three people at a time," he orders. They all nod.

"And watch where you step." He swings the door open and the barking gets louder. Bella is sitting in front of the door as she does at home. Her tail sweeps back and forth on the rug.

"Hi beautiful," he greets her. The pups swarm around him. Awws and laughter are heard in the hallway.

"Okay first three, you get 10 minutes." Two airmen and one of Frasier's medical techs come in. Jack pushes the door closes so no one sneaks out. He sits in the chair off to the side. Bella checks out each person. Merlin bolts to Jack and hides under the chair. He's not a real fan of people.

A knock on the door sounds. "Hey you in, O'Neill?" Aria stops greeting the new people and rushes to the door. Dixon has arrived.

"C'mon in Dave." Jack gets out of the chair as the door opens. Aria jumps on Dave Dixon, begging to be picked up. "Not now, little girl," he tells her. She subsides.

Jack shakes his head. He hands over the paperwork his vet gave him the last visit. "Her kennel is right there." He points to the crate labeled in green. 'Aria Dixon'.

Dix smothers a laugh. "I'm just coming by to say hey. Shift's over at 1800. Is that okay with you?"

Jack nods. "You might want to take the crate now." Dix agrees. "I'll take her for a walk to my quarters and come back." Dave hooks the leash to his dog and picks up the kennel. Aria is heard barking hello to all the people in line as she walks down the hall.

Jack rolls his eyes as the sound fades. The three visitors grin. Jack's watch beeps signalling the end of their visit. They shuffle out and the next group comes in. After the third rotation Bella has retreated to the bathroom and Merlin is under the chair again. He came out to look and greet a few people, but it got too much. Jack calls a halt to all the visitors.

"I'll do this in another few hours," he tells them all. "You can come back then."

Siler leaves Jester with a pat on the head. The goofy dog seemed to like the engineer. Jester follows him to the door and wags his tail. Groans come from outside in the hall, but noise tells him they are retreating. Hammond will be pleased to get his base running smoothly again. The pups climb wearily into the dog bed. Bella pokes her head out of the bathroom. Her nose tells her no more strangers, so she creeps out. She makes a brief stop to the pups and then sits at Jack's feet.

A polite lick on the hand and a bark warns him. Bella needs to go out.

"Ugh, this isn't gonna be fun, girl." She won't use the puppy pads, as he's found out at home. He attaches her blue starred leash to the matching collar and leaves his quarters. The elevator moves quickly through the floors. Siler gets on with a loaded toolbox, and gets off at level 17. He nods to the Colonel and gets a tail wag from Bella. Two SF's get out on their quarters on 16. They switch elevators at the 11th floor. Bella whines.

"I know, it's a few more minutes." Jack assures her as they wait for the elevator to come to the first floor.

Finally outside he drops her leash and Bella bolts to the territory she marked earlier. He can practically see the relief on her face.

"You know, the pads were for you too, Bella." He tells her. She's too busy sniffing and marking to pay attention to him. Finally done, she noses his pockets for her ball. "Sorry gorgeous. No play time right now."

Jack could swear she gives him a disgusted look before heading back to the entrance of the mountain. She's not fond of the elevators. They take the stairs halfway down. She likes that better. Bella moves ahead of him down the stairs and waits for him every few minutes.


	7. Chapter 7

Carter is loitering around his end of the hall when he and Bella come back down. Jack lets go of the leash and Bella trots up to the Major. She does her usual sniff and circle. Carter laughs as she always does.

"I feel bad for confusing her," she says. Bella is sitting at Carter's feet watching her closely.

"Maybe we should take her to the gate and let her get a whiff of it." Jack suggests. The noise behind his door is getting louder.

Sam laughs. "I'm sure General Hammond would love that."

The door opens and a wave of half grown puppies stream into the hall. Jester makes a bee line to Sam and Mab rushes off down the hall to Teal'c's quarters. Merlin sits in the doorway watching with his head tipped to one side.

Jack looks down at the pup. He turns to Carter to make a quip and sees her studying Merlin. Her head is tipped to one side. It hits him like a staff blast. Merlin reminds him of Carter. Daniel was right all those weeks ago.

Teal'c comes down the hall aggrieved. "Mab was whining at my door, O'Neill."

He shakes off the thought. "Yeah, sorry T. She's fine. Just wanted to see you." He knows the pup interrupted kel'nor'eem.

Teal'c studies the dog. He puts her down in O'Neill's quarters. "Stay here, Mab." He orders. She sits down and watches him leave. She whimpers a little, but stays where she is.

"How does he do that?" Jack mumbles. Mab listens to her mother and Teal'c. She tolerates his orders. That stubborn streak is making it hard for him to place her with a family.

Mab flops down on the rug. Merlin follows Jack into the room and gallops to the chair he's been sitting under. He misjudges the distance and slides into the wall. Sam gets to him and checks under the chair. She giggles. Merlin has crawled into her lap and is licking her ears.

Suddenly Jester jumps on his brother. Growling and barking he drives Merlin away from Carter.

"Hey!" Jack grabs the white faced dog. "What'd I say?" he addresses his dog. "No fighting." The Colonel has lowered his voice and all the dogs in the room sit up. Carter knows the tone.

"Sorry Carter. Looks like someone got jealous." He grins at her.

Merlin is now sniffing and circling Carter like his mother does. "It's fine, sir. It just startled me."

Jack is watching the dog. "We got another one." He comments when Merlin stops and looks at Carter.

"Sir?"

He nods at Merlin. "Guessing he senses the naquadah too."

Sam looks down. "Oh." The white stripe on his head gleams out while he inspects her boots. "Well, it makes sense. Dogs can sense things we can't. Sounds we can't hear. It's just odd he hasn't figured it out before."

"No, not really." Jack realizes something. "Merlin hasn't taken to other people. Just me. So he hasn't been very close to you. And with all the other smells, sounds, excitement he probably didn't realize what it was." Jack shrugs. "He's young," he adds. "I bet there's a naquadah smell through the base. He just figured out it's not just your natural smell."

Merlin has given up checking out Sam and has hopped up on the chair. Jack sighs. "I knew it. He's been sleeping on my den chair." Sam watches the pup settle into the chair. He curls up in a tight ball and sighs.

A quick yap turns their attention to the door. Jester is welcoming a new visitor. His tail wags and his lower body wobbles as General Hammond steps into the room.

"General!"

Mab lifts her head off her paws. Her tail thumps once and she scrambles to her feet to inspect the new arrival. Hammond pats her head.

"What can we do for you, General?" Jack is curious. Hammond makes it a point to stay away from his people's quarters when they're on base.

"Just wanted to meet the family." He looks at the four dogs sprawled over his premier team leader's quarters and smiles. Bella checks him out and retreats back to the dog bed. Merlin hops off the chair and hides in his crate. He's not interested in more people. Mab likes the General. He scratches her ears and she leans up on him.

"Well, meet away." Jack waves at the dogs. "It's your base."

Hammond chuckles. Mab sits at his feet. Jester sniffs around the General's shiny shoes.

"Looks like they like you, sir." Carter smiles.

The General nods. He takes a seat at the desk and lets the dogs inspect him. Truth be told, it's relaxing. With all the paperwork on his desk, the condolence letters, the medical requisitions, and scheduling the away missions he needs a quick break.

Dave Dixon appears at the door with Aria. "She's back," he announces. Aria barks at the room and joins Mab in meeting the new visitor. "Hello, General Hammond." Dixon straightens up.

Hammond nods. "At ease, Colonel. Just following the rest of the base, and meeting the dogs." Mab has dropped her favorite toy, a squeaky yellow dragon, on Hammond's shoes. He chuckles and dangles it for her to chase. Mab grabs it and pounces down on the dragon's tail.

Carter gives Jester one more pat, "With your permission, sirs." She indicates the door. Jack waves her off. Hammond nods.

"See you later, Sam," Dixon tells her. Jester sneaks around the closing door and runs after Carter.

"Damnit." Jack gets up. "Excuse me, sir."

Sam has turned around and nearly runs into him. The white faced pup is sitting at her feet. His tongue lolls out out and he pants happily.

"Sure you don't want a dog, Carter?" Jack asks.

Sam shakes her head. "Can't, sir."

He nods. Even having Bella is tough for him. Having a puppy for Carter, who does a lot of research in the mountain, would be nearly impossible.

Jack calls to Jester and he hides behind Carter's legs. Sam scoops up the pup and tries to hand him back to the Colonel. Jester wriggles so much she nearly drops him.

"Sir, I can take him to my lab," she offers. "I'll bring him back later today."

"You okay with that?" he asks.

"He'll be fine," she assures him.

He nods. Sam and Jester walk off down the hall to the stairs.

It takes a little longer than Sam expected to get to her lab. A few people stopped to meet Jester. Without his siblings he's more friendly, but still a little cautious. When the door slides open he backs into the opposite wall.

"It's okay, Jester. Just a door." She encourages him. "C'mon, buddy." Sam steps inside the lab and he follows her in. Jester noses into all the corners.

"Carter," Jack comes in with a few things in his hands.

Jester backs under a table. Jack laughs. "You can stay, ya big baby." Jack drops the pup's second favorite toy, a thin floppy lamb, onto the floor. Jester eyes it, but stays where he is.

Jack turns to Carter. "I brought a puppy pad, a bowl, and a towel for him." Jack sets the pad near the door. He makes a little nest of the towel and puts the bowl down near Jester. He rubs the dog's head and leaves.

"Thanks, sir!" Carter calls out. Jack waves but never turns around.

Jester creeps out slowly and snags his lamb. A few minutes later he laps at some water and sniffs the towel a few times and circles it. The lamb drags on the concrete floor behind him. He finally settles on the towel and chews on the lamb to make it squeak.

Sam jumps a few times when the lamb squeaks, but quickly gets used to it. She opens her computer and downloads a report from one of the science teams. Out of the corner of her eye she catches flashes of movement as Jester explores her lab. Jester pads to the door and sticks his head out. Sam looks up. "Jester," she calls.

He looks up and down the hall then comes back into the room. Scuffling sounds follow. Jester drags his towel under Sam's table and tries to nose it into shape. He growls and barks at the towel.

"What are you doing?" Sam ducks down to see the dog's activities. She laughs as she realizes what's going on. Convinced that he won't be taken away from Sam he's moving his bed to be closer to her. He just can't get it like it was.

"Okay, bud." She slides down off the chair and crawls under the table. Jester licks her face. Sam pushes him away and sets up his towel like Jack did. The pup's tail wags so hard his backside wobbles. He drags his lamb under the table and settles into his new bed. He chews happily on his lamb. Squeaking sounds erupt from the floor.

Sam laughs. She goes back to reading her report with a symphony of squeaks in the background.


	8. Chapter 8

Sgt. Siler turns a corner and is brought up short by Major Carter.

"D'oh!" He exclaims. "Sorry, Major!" he apologizes. Siler's ears turn pink as he realizes he slipped up and used a Simpsonism in front of an officer.

"It's fine, Sgt." Sam assures him. Jester barks at him.

Siler is startled by the dog. He hadn't noticed the pup right away. The white faced puppy is wagging his tail and nudging Siler's leg with his nose.

"He wants you to pet him," Sam tells him. Having spent a few hours with the dog she knows his tells pretty well by now.

Siler bends down and gives the dog a head rub. "Hey, there Jester." He remembers the dog from his visit earlier. Jester barks again. He pants in what Sam recognizes as his happy face.

"We were going for a walk." Carter elaborates. "Someone was tired of my lab." She looks down at the puppy.

Siler chuckles. "I know the feeling," Siler veers around the both of them and heads to the machine shop. Drifting back is a humming of The Simpsons theme song. Jester perked up his ears and takes two steps to follow Siler. He then looks back at Sam.

"C'mon, bud." Sam opens the door to the stairs and he barrels up them. "Other way, dog!" She calls. Sam laughs as he comes back to find her.

"We're going back down." Sam wishes the Colonel brought the leash too. Jester hops down the stairs and looks back occasionally to make sure she's following him. They exit the stairs at level 25.

Barking echos through the hall. Jester immediately joins in. His tail whips wildly as he barks along with his littermates.

"COLONEL O'NEILL!" Hammond's deep Texan voice rumble over the noise of dogs. The barking stops.

Hammond stalks around the corner. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He thunders.

Fearless Mab rushes out to greet the General. She barks at him and plops down in the hallway.

"Sorry, sir." Jack appears in the door of his quarters. "I was trying to take the dogs out for some exercise, and well they got excited when they saw the leashes."

Leashes dangle from his hand. Jack looks abashed.

"Why don't you ask your team, Colonel?" Hammond asks him.

"Yes, sir." In a surprise move Jack hands Hammond a red leash. Mab wags her way up to Hammond. Hammond stares at the leash and then at the dog. He smiles a little at being thought of as part of Jack's team.

Jack gives Sam Jester's green leash. "Thanks, sir. I was coming to get that." She hooks the leash to Jester's collar. Jester barks happily. He tugs on the leash eager to go for a walk. "Okay, buddy. Hang on."

Sam rides the elevator to the top of the mountain. She and Jester jog up the trail leading into the park. Turning around after half an hour when she notices the pup is starting to tire. He likes to chase the birds and animals that cross his path.

She runs into the Colonel walking Merlin and Bella. "Hey, Carter."

Jester gives him a feeble tail wag. The dog plops down in front of him.

"Hi, sir." She's energized and flushed with the exercise. Sam jogs in place and Jester's leash jingles. He looks up at her and sighs.

"Heading back in?" he asks.

Sam nods. "Jester's flagging a little." She stops and looks down at the puppy who's panting. Sam realizes he's paying for chasing every bird and squirrel that crossed his path. She sympathizes. "And I have some reports to finish." Sam tugs on the leash and Jester climbs to his feet. They pass him and the dogs.

"Oh, sir!" Sam turns around. O'Neill snaps his eyes up to her face. He probably shouldn't be caught checking out his subordinate's backside. "I just remembered, Jester is a fan of the Simpsons."

Jack does a double take. "How do you know that?" He stares down at the puppy who has sprawled out on the ground again. If Carter's not careful he's gonna fall asleep right there.

"We ran into Siler earlier," Sam explains. "He was humming the song and Jester started to follow him."

Jack laughs. He hefts the dog off the ground. The pups are getting too big to hold. "So you've been paying attention, huh?" Jester licks Jack's nose. "Well, that makes finding you a family easier."

Sam agrees. "No non Simpsons fans need apply." Jack ignores the laugh he can hear in her voice.

Jack nods. "I'll get on that." He puts Jester back down. Bella tugs at her leash and they jog off up the path.


	9. Chapter 9

Getting the dogs home is a lot easier than getting them to the base. Jester allows Sam to put him in the crate. Mab does whatever Teal'c says. Right now she's staring at Teal'c through the mesh of the kennel door. She barks sadly as Teal'c loads her into the back seat of the truck. It also helps that Aria went home with Dave Dixon.

"Goodbye, Mab." Teal'c presses his big hand on the mesh and Mab licks it. "O'Neill." He inclines his head and smiles briefly at his team.

"See ya!"

Teal'c heads back into the mountain. A whimper follows him.

Jack slides into the truck. Bella has taken her usual seat next to him. Three of the four kids are going back with him. Aria was ecstatic to be loaded into the Dixon family jeep. Jack laughs at the memory of Dave Dixon driving out of the parking lot. Dave looked a little shell shocked at Aria's expressions of joy. He wonders when she stopped barking. Speaking of joy, he laughs again at the fact that two of his dogs have crushes on members of his team.

Which reminds him. "The Simpsons," he sings. In his crate, Jester barks. Jack hears the thumping of his tail in the kennel.

Not that he doubted Carter, but wow. "Okay. Carter's right." Jack shakes his head. He knew Jester liked watching tv with him. He just didn't know he liked the same shows. Jack thought he just liked to sit on the couch while Jack watched tv.

Jack comes into his den that night to see Jester sitting on the couch staring at the blank screen of the tv. He looks at Jack and then the tv as if to say "Well, what's keeping you?"

That gesture he recognizes. That's pure Bella.

"Yeah, coming." He flips on the tv and Jester's tail thumps on the pillows. Jester settles down with his head on his paws. He shifts closer so he's pressed up against Jack. His tongue hangs out as the tv warms up.

"You need thumbs, ya couch potato." Jack shakes his head. "Carter and Daniel would say I'm a bad influence on you. But you have good taste." He rubs Jester's ears. The hockey game is on and Jester shifts so he can put his head on Jack's leg. The dog sighs and his tail wags briefly.

He snaps awake when Bella barks. "What!?" he asks confusedly. Jack looks around. Jester is focused on the post game show. Bella is standing in front of him. She licks his hand and barks again.

Jack shakes the sleep daze from his mind. "Right. Sorry girl." He shoves up from the couch. Bella barges up the stairs. Jester stays where he is. "Oh no way." Jack tells him. "Let's go," Jester sighs and shoves himself off the couch. Jack can hear the barking of the three other dogs.

He wades through the excited dogs to open his door. They pour out of his house and race down to the dog end of the yard. Jack curses. He forgot the poop bags. He jogs back to his house.

He stops short. Someone's on his porch. The man turns and he recognizes Siler.

"Siler?" he's genuinely curious. Jack shakes the last of the sleep off.

"Sir," the man turns. "I'm sorry for stopping by so late, but you were busy earlier today."

Jack opens the door. "Gotta get the poop bags, Sargeant." He says. "Come in."

Siler stays on the porch. Jack emerges from the kitchen with plastic bags. "What's up?" he jogs back to the dog area. Siler following him.

Jester stops sniffing his brother and yaps happily as he recognizes the visitor. He leans up on Siler.

"Ah." Jack says a little sadly.

"I talked with my wife and if it's okay," Siler looks down at the black and white dog who's nudging him with his nose. Siler bends down to pet the dog. Jester tips his head up and Siler's hand slides down his head to the middle of his back.

"Adopting Jester." Jack finishes. He ties off the last bag and dumps it in the trash can. "Gotta meet the wife, and just as a warning he's got a major crush on Carter." Siler's mouth twitches at the unintended pun. "You might have to work out some visitation rights." The Colonel jokes.

Siler laughs briefly. "We can do that, sir."

"One last question, how do you feel about The Simpsons?" Jester barks at the sound of his favorite show. His tail wags and he takes off down the yard. Siler watches the dog streak back up the yard, waiting for someone to let him in the house. "He likes The Simpsons?"

Jack nods. "Hockey too."

Siler stares at the Colonel, wide nod convinces him the Colonel isn't joking for once. "You sure he shouldn't stay with you?"

Jack barks out a laugh. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"The Simpsons are fine, sir. Watch it a lot myself." Siler shrugs. "Hockey not so much." Jester has come back and is dropping his favorite toy, a blue rubber ball, at Siler's feet.

"Well, if you watch tv with him, and play ball," Jack says, "I can let the hockey thing slide."

Siler nods. He's learned, when he's not sure that the Colonel is joking to just agree. He scoops the ball up and tosses it. Jester takes off after the ball. He leaps up to snag it from the air.

He trots back with his head and tail up.

"Proud of himself," Jack mutters. A hint of a smile breaks through.

Jester drops the ball at Siler's feet again.

"He can do this forever," Jack warns. Siler bullets the ball over the yard. Jester takes off again.

After watching the two of them play fetch for a while Jack nods. "Just clear it with Carter." Jack winces as Jester explodes in happy barking. He runs around the yard looking for Sam. Coming back he avoids Jack and sits at Siler's feet. Jack smiles. He knows Jester is pouting cause Sam's not around.

Siler watched this whole scene in disbelief. He thought the Colonel was joking. "I'll talk to the Major tomorrow, sir."

They shake hands. Jester sees Siler back to his car. He watches as Siler drives away. Jester's tail droops as he walks back to the house. Jack sits on the step. "He'll be back," Jester crawls into his lap. "Oof, you're getting too big for that, buddy." Jester's legs hang off his lap and onto the steps. He shoves the pup off him and stands up. A whistle and the rest of the dogs come running.

Jack herds his litter back into the house. "Two down." He comments sadly.


	10. Chapter 10

Dave Dixon slumps at the mess table. Jack thumps his tray down next to him. Jack went for the slightly safer baked chicken and rice while it looks like Dave went protein and carbs with beef stew.

Dixon jumps. "Damnit, O'Neill."

"Looking a little haggard there, Dix." Jack sips his coffee.

Dave glares at him. "You could have warned me," he says.

"About?" Jack takes another look at the stew. He's pretty sure Dixon doesn't mean lunch.

"That dog refuses to sleep anywhere but our room. Do you know how hard it is to sleep with a new baby and a puppy in the same room?" Dave demands.

Jack hides a grin, "She was fine at my place. Slept in the dog bed, under the table, in the crate, hell even on top of the coffee table once." Jack grins at that memory. Aria liked to be where the action was, even asleep.

"What'd you put in the food?" Dave shovels in a bite of stew. He looks a little crazed.

He laughs. "She's probably missing her littermates. She liked to sleep near them. Maybe put her crate in a corner of your room." Aria was the lazy one of the litter and would conk out anywhere. But she prefered to sleep with her littermates or close to them. "Give it time. Add some toys to her bed." Jack suggests. "I gave you her favorite sleep toy." Jack had to run after Dave with Aria's squeaky pig.

"Time," Dix mutters. "Lainie's gonna kill me. And that damn sleep pig doesn't help at all." Dave winces at the memory of last night. The baby cried, the puppy howled and woke up the kids. "She chewed on it half the night. You had to buy her a squeaky toy," He shovels in another bite and glares at his fellow Colonel.

Jack tries to muffle his laughter, but fails. It was, in fact, Teal'c that bought the squeaky toys. Aria's pig, Jester's lamb, Merlin's plane, and Mab's dragon are all down to the big guy. He decides Dix doesn't need to know that. He changes the subject quickly, "Aren't you going off world today?"

Dix nods. "Quick survey mission."

"Hi sirs," Carter appears at the side of the table. She slides across from Dave Dixon. She bumps into Jack's leg and shifts away quickly. Her cheeks redden.

"Siler came by my lab," Sam bursts into speech. "Why did you tell him I needed to approve his adopting Jester?" Sam pulls her blue Jello closer.

Jack stares at her. "I didn't say that," he protests.

Dixon chuckles. He's enjoying O'Neill put on the spot. He takes another slug of caffeine and some more stew.

"I told Siler that you might want visitation rights, like Daniel worked out with him," he nods to Dave.

Dave chokes on his coffee. He flushes and coughs.

Carter smiles and hands over her napkins. "Here, sir."

"Thanks, Sam." Dixon mops up after himself. "So Daniel helps out with Aria," he shrugs. "When I'm off world it gives Lainie some breathing room. Daniel's great with kids and dogs." Dave sees the grins of his friends.

"So did you approve Siler adopting Jester?" Dave teases.

Sam flushes. "I told Siler it wasn't up to me." She slides a slight glare to O'Neill. "And Siler said you told him to clear it with me. Sir." Jack winces at the pointed barb of her 'sir'. He knows that tone. He screwed up.

"Oh right." He suddenly remembers. "I did say that." He winces. "I didn't mean he had to ask your permission no matter how much Jester loves you."

Dixon chuckles. He, like most of the base, heard how Jester followed Carter around. The surveillance photos have been making the rounds. Especially the ones of Jester dragging his towel and toys under Sam's lab table.

"Sorry Carter." Jack's ears seem a little pinker. He avoids looking at his second in command.

Sam nods. She picks up her fork and digs into the fruit salad she picked up. "I'll check back in with Siler," she promises him.

The rest of the lunch they talk about Dave's new mission. It's a survey to a non-Go'auld world.

"So you're sure, Major?" Siler asks.

Sam sighs. She knows Siler likes specifics. He's an engineer. She normally appreciates that about him. But he's asked her twice about Jester.

"Yep," she assures him. "If the Colonel says it's fine, it is." She looks away from the numbers floating on the screen. "Maybe visitation rights is a little strong, but if I can take him out for a run once in a while, dog sit if needed, then we're fine." Sam has a soft spot for the clumsy, cautious puppy. Daniel was right, it was tough watching 'your' puppy going off to a family. Sam looks up and smiles at the engineer.

Siler nods. "That'd be great, Major." He reaches out his hand. Sam shakes his. "Deal," she grins.

After work Sam takes her bike out. The weather cleared up, so it's a good time for getting the bugs out of her recently rebuilt Indian. She turns around in the Colonel's cul de sac and Jester barrels into the street. The Indian jerks as she puts on the brakes.

"Great," Sam mutters. She left a tire track on the pavement. "Jester, be careful!" she calls out to the eager dog. He's waiting for her to get off the bike. Jester barks at her twice.

Sam turns off the bike and rolls it toward the Colonel's driveway.

She hears her CO calling for Jester. The dog sticks to her heels. Parking the bike in the drive she heads back to the yard.

"Hi, sir." Sam greets him. Jester barks at his humans. He runs back and forth between them. His head and tail are held high. The pup sits down in front of Sam and looks at Jack. He barks again.

Jack shakes his head. He recognizes that pose. Jester is proud of himself. _Shouldn't have taught him how to fetch,_ Jack laughs to himself.."I should have known. He sticks to the yard unless it's you." Jester has scooted over so he's now sitting on Sam's foot.

"Sorry." Sam apologizes. "I was testing out my bike and in case something happened I stuck to the route between your place, Daniel's and mine." She explains.

Jack nods. "Can you bring him inside?" He know that Jester will ignore him as long as Sam is around. Bella herds her two other pups into the house. She barks at Jester. He sighs and climbs to his feet.

"Come on, bud." Sam says. "Let's go in." She starts to the house. The puppy follows at her side.

"So did you talk to Siler?" Jack offers her a beer as she enters the house. Jester leaves Sam and sits in front of the treat cabinet. He stares at Jack and whines a little. Hardly subtle. Jack relents and tosses a treat to Jester. The other dogs crowd around him. He hands out treats to everyone.

Sam declines the beer. She grabs one of the diet sodas the Colonel keeps in his fridge. She guzzles half the soda. "We worked it out, sir."

Jester has gone to the water bowl and is lapping up the water. Droplets fall off his nose and ears as he comes back to sit at Sam's side.

Carter bends down and strokes his head. The dogs are starting to get longer coats. Well, except for Merlin. His coat has stayed short. She'd never say it, but it makes them even more adorable. They're just big fuzzy balls of fur and excitement.

"Was gonna order a pizza, want in?" Jack asks. Sam shakes her head. "I should get back on the road. The bike's working fine."

Sam stands up. She drops the can into the recycling bin and heads to the door. O'Neill grabs Jester before she can open the door. The dog struggles and barks trying to get out of O'Neill's hands.

Sam rubs his ears. "Gotta stay here, buddy." The dog droops in Jack's hold.

Jack puts down Jester as soon as the door closes. He waits for the distinctive sound of Carter's bike to start up. He hears a muffled roar and a stall.

Sam knocks on his door a few minutes later. "That pizza offer still open?" She asks sheepishly. Jester jumps up on her and dances around her feet.

"Bike down again?" Jack is sympathetic. Jester sits down next to her.

She nods. "If you can load it into your truck later, that'd really help."

He nods. "No problem." He picks up the phone, Pepperoni or mushroom?"

"How about sausage and mushroom?" she counters. He nods and orders a large with a salad.

"A salad, sir?" She teases him.

He shrugs. In truth he likes vegetables. "Gotta keep down to fighting weight somehow."

She grins. "And you can have more cake,"

He throws her a mock glare. "That's my secret, Carter."

Jester is bored listening to the humans. He snags his ball and drops it a few times, hoping someone will get the hint. He discovers he can drop the ball and it'll roll so he can chase it. He moves closer and closer to Sam with the toy.

"OK time to go out!" O'Neill announces. Bella appears from the dining room. Jester crowds the door, his tail wagging madly. Someone will play ball with him. Mab and Merlin dash up the den stairs.

The setting sun lights the backyard with a softer glow. Bella does her business and finds a quiet spot on the side porch. Soon she's snoozing away. Mab, Merlin and Jester race each other up the yard. Sam tosses the ball a few times and is amused to see Mab ignoring it while the boys chase it around the yard.

The pizza guy interrupts playtime. The pups crowd around him drawn to the irresistable scent of cheese and meat. Once the pizza is paid for, the pups shooed away from the people food, the two officers dive into the pizza and salad.

"Thanks, sir." Sam manages after her second slice. "I didn't realize how hungry I was."

Jack grins around his own slice. "Forgot to eat again, huh?" Normally he and Teal'c make sure Daniel and Carter eat on a regular basis, but there are times they can't get away.

Sam grabs another slice. "I was planning on it, then my bike broke down." She remembers the defrosting meatballs and sauce on her counter. Her neighbor dropped them off a few weeks ago. All she had to do was put them in the oven for a while and boil some pasta. "Well, it's why we have plan B's," she jokes. Jack laughs.

After the pizza is finished and the salad bowl cleaned out, Sam and Jack hoist her bike into the back of his pickup.

Bella stands on the porch watching them work. She helps by barking a few times. When the bike is finally in the bed of the truck she runs out and hops into the pick-up bed. Her tail wags furiously, a black and white blur.

"Hey, girl." Sam strokes the dog's head. "You should get out." The bike could slide around and hurt the dog. Bella licks Sam's hand and stays where she is.

"I've got some ties." Jack says. "Hang on." He disappears into his garage and comes back with some rope and bungee cords. Between the two of them and Bella's encouragement they tie the bike down so it stays mostly in place for the short drive back to Carter's.

Bella refuses to get out of the back. She barks at Jack again and looks away down the street. He laughs. "Ok, beautiful." He recognizes that she's staying put.

Bella enjoys the ride through the Springs. Her ears blowing in the breeze, sniffing the wind, barking at people and other dogs.

Sam pets her as they untie the bike. "Thanks, Bella." The black and white dog hops out of the pickup as the bike is turned upright on its wheels. It bounces a few times on the pavement coming out of the truck bed.

"Thanks, sir." Sam runs a hand through her hair. The wind and the exertion ruffled it out of place. Bella runs next to Sam as she wheels it into the workshed. Bella takes a few good sniffs, but the oil and metal smells don't interest her. She trots out of the shed and back to the truck.

Sam comes around the corner to see her CO talking to his dog. "When'd you start liking bikes? Do I have to get you a helmet or something?" Sam smiles at the pair.

"Thanks again, sir." She says, breaking up his conversation with Bella.

He waves off her thanks. "We're a team. It's what we do." He opens the door and Bella hops in. Jack starts his truck. "See you tomorrow!"

Carter waves and watches as the truck turns back toward O'Neill's neighborhood.


	11. Chapter 11

Jack calls all the dogs. The pups barrel out of the house eager and excited. He loads them and their gear into his truck. Bella hangs back as usual. She sits on the warm driveway as her puppies hop into the truck. She's still suspicious about the vet visits. Now that spring is fully here, he's been able to take the dogs out more often.

Jack rubs her head. "Dog park, I promise, girl." He tells her. She tips her head and studies him.

Jack opens the passenger side door and Bella finally jumps into her seat riding shotgun.

Bella barks a few times at the pups. All three of them are trying to stick their heads out the window. It's probably funny to the observer. Three fuzzy heads bouncing around and getting windblown, but they keep shoving each other out of the way. None of them have figured out they can use the other window on the drivers side. Jack keeps looking back at them to make sure they don't fall out of the truck. Bella gives up trying to keep them in order.

As usual Jack has trouble finding a parking spot at the dog park. He groans when he find one for the truck a block away. Bella is no trouble. It's the rest of them. He'll probably be tangled in leashes half the time.

"Fine," he mutters. He clips the leash to Bella's collar, not that she needs it. The pups take a little longer. They've gotten better on leashes individually, but they haven't figured out how to do it as a group. Merlin sticks close to him. Jester insists on chasing shadows and Mab likes to be in the lead.

Mab pounces on the leash dangling in front of her. The bad news is it's her leash. She turns around wondering who's tugging on her collar. She drops the leash and the loop attracts Merlin's attention and he pounces on it. Jack pulls the pups off and tries again.

As he thought he ends up tangled in leashes halfway down the block. Bella sits and watches him as he untwists the leads. Jester and Mab got tangled and of course Jester nearly choked himself.

Jack sighs. "Too bad Carter isn't here." Jester looks around and his tail wags slowly. It droops when he doesn't see Sam. "She's not here," he tells Jester. Jack reminds himself to start spelling Carter's name around Jester or something.

Jack finally untangles the leashes and makes it to the dog park enclosure. Opening the black wrought iron gate he slides in with his dogs. Bella herds the pups into the corner so Jack can take off their leashes. She's done this enough. As always he's amazed at her herding skills.

Finally the pups run free. The enclosure is a long narrow run that expands out into a circle of grass. Merlin and Jester race down the narrow end barking happily. Mab sniffs around and marks her territory.

Jack nods to a few people he recognizes. The thing he likes about the dog park is everyone knows the dogs. No one really cares who you are. He swaps stories about housetraining with a new guy with a husky pup that Merlin and Jester are playing with. The owner of Bella's best dog friend comes over and says hi. Bella and the golden retriever are sniffing each other. He always thought of it as what'cha been doing since I saw you last.

"You only have four now," the woman comments. "Where's the other puppy?"

Jack nods. "Yeah, Aria got adopted. She's ecstatic. Kids, a big yard to play in, lots of attention." He chuckles at the memory of the Dixon kids with Aria.

The new guy interrupts, "You had five dogs? Wow."

Jack nods again. One eye is on the puppies racing around in circles. "It's a mad house some days."

Suddenly Jester barks and runs at the fence. Jack spins around. He doesn't see Carter, usually the only person that can provoke that reaction in the puppy. Jester is standing on his hind legs against the fence tail whipping back and forth. Jack suddenly recognizes the person. "Excuse me." He jogs over to the fence.

"Hey Siler."

"Sir." Siler is rubbing Jester's ears.

"Might as well join us." Jack invites. "Get to know the crowd."

Jester runs along the fence, waiting impatiently for Siler to come in. He barks happily when the gate pulls out a new ball for the pup. Jester goes wild and chases after his ball.

Jack brings him over to the small group of dog owners. "Hey, this is Jester's new human." He introduces Siler. The group laughs. It took weeks before they actually learned each other's names. The dog park motto is the place where everyone knows your dog's name, not yours.

Bella trots up to Siler and greets him. "Wow, sir, she's really filled out." It's been a few weeks since he's seen Bella up close.

Jack nods. "Vet says she's perfect nowadays."

The new guy is following the conversation with difficulty. "What happened?"

Jack hesitates. "Found Bella on the side of the road about two months ago." He shrugs. "My vet thinks someone dumped her and the puppies." Jack strokes Bella's head and watches his other dogs play.

The group stares at Bella. She thumps her tail and leans on Jack. As one they scowl and shake their heads at the thought of someone hurting their dogs. "That's horrible."

Jack shrugs. "Worked out in the end." Bella barks at him to punctuate the conversation. The group laughs. Bella heads off to play with the golden retriever. Soon they are chasing each other up the fence line.

Jester runs back to Siler after wresting his ball away from the other dogs. He drops it at the sergeant's feet. Siler pets his head. "Gonna have to share, bud." He chuckles. Siler winds up and tosses the ball down the end of the park. Jester takes off after it.

"Gotta good arm there." Another dog parker comments. "My softball team is looking for a pitcher."

"Yeah, maybe." Siler agrees. "Depends on when games are. Duty you know." He refers back to his introduction.

The guy nods. "Right. Well practice is tomorrow night at 6. Center park fields."

Jester races back with his ball. He flops at Siler's feet and chews happily on the toy.

One by one the dogs return to their owners. Jack finds his leashes and starts to attach them to collars.

"I'll take Jester, sir." Siler offers.

"Great! Why not have him visit you and get to know the house and all?" O'Neill offers.

"Sure." Siler is familiar with the visits the Dixon's did. Helps the puppies get used to their new places and families. "I'll bring him back tonight."

"You'll need his crate." The transfer of the crate to Siler's car is done quickly. Jester hops in the car. He looks happy to have a window to himself. His tongue lolls as he rests his head on the sill. Jack grins. The white face gleams out in the darkening afternoon. His ears are pricked up and he's panting happily.

He nods to Siler. "Someone's happy," Siler looks up. He chuckles. "Let me guess, he likes riding in the car too?"

"How many dogs don't?" Jack replies.

Siler nods. He can't argue with that.

The dog park group wave and say their goodbyes.

"See you later, sir." Siler drives off with Jester riding shotgun barking in the wind. Jack shakes his head and laughs.


	12. Chapter 12

Jester barks happily as Siler tosses the rubber ball again and again. The fuzzy ball of black and white fur races down the yard in pursuit. He snags it and dashes back to Siler. His tail blurs as he gets closer. He flops down in front of Siler and chews on the blue rubber ball.

"He's done for a while," Jack observes. He's been talking to Siler's wife. She laughs. "I think they both need a rest."

Jester leaves the ball and comes over to them. He sits close to Caroline Siler. She reaches down and rubs his head.

Jack has been watching her interact with Jester and is satisfied. He can't say that Jester adores her like he does Carter, but he's comfortable and happy with her. All the dogs like Caroline. She even passed Bella's sniff test. Jack sighs. Another one of his 'kids' going away.

Suddenly Bella takes off down the yard, Mab in her wake. As befits her name Mab is more dignified in her approach. Sam joked that Mab is part cat, expecting the rest of the world to wait for her. Bella dances in place waiting for the car to stop in the driveway.

Jack's never sure how she knows who's coming, but she does. Cassie and her dog hop out of Janet's car. Bella takes a step toward Cass, but stops as the back doors open and two other girls appear. Her nostrils quiver as she takes in their scent. She wags her tail politely welcoming them to her yard. Bella is still cautious with new people. Suddenly another car pulls into the driveway and Mab dashes over. She plops down in front of the car door, and her tail blurs as she waits for the door to open.

Mab's odd behavior catches O'Neill's attention. He knows it's Hammond. The general asked if he could come by. It's the first time he's seen Mab so enthused about anyone other than Teal'c. The door opens and Hammond steps out. Mab gets to her feet and her whole body wags. She barks once to greet the General. Kayla and Tessa rush to hug him. Mab dances around the girls and Hammond, barking for attention.

Jack shakes his head. His pups are good at choosing their families. Now he has to convince the General to get a dog.

The buzz of a motorcycle is heard and Sam pulls in next to the Colonel's truck. Jester's head comes off his paws. His tail thumps and he pops to his feet.

"Wow, like rush hour around here." Jack jokes. He's halfway across the yard when he realizes Jester isn't racing to Carter. He looks behind him and laughs. Jester is torn. He's taken a few running strides to Sam then stops and looks back at the Silers. He finally takes one more longing look at the Major and sits on Siler's foot.

Carter laughs as she catches sight of the pup trying to decide where to go. _Daniel is right,_ she thinks. _It's hard watching your pup go off to another family._ She's happy Jester found a family though. She digs into her bike bag for treats.

Bella and Merlin suddenly nudge her. Sam chuckles. "Chow hounds." She teases as the dogs gobble the small gourmet treats she discovered. Jester finally dashes over for his share. He jumps up on her. "Down, buddy." Jester sighs and sits right down. His tail wags hopefully. Sam rubs his ears and gives him his treat. He leans on her and takes the bone back to Siler. She doles out one more to Cassie's dog. Mab has stuck to the General's heels.

The Colonel shakes his head. "Sneaky," he chuckles.

"Sir?" Carter pulls off her helmet and ruffles her hair.

"Getting the dogs to love you with bribery." He accuses.

"Jester always did, without the bribes." Carter shoots back. Jack shrugs. She's got him there. "Where's Mab?"

Jack nudges her. He nods over at the Hammond family. The General's granddaughters are petting the pup. Sam giggles. "We should have guessed."

Jack's deep brown eyes narrow as he studies the terrain. His strategy outlined he saunters over to the General.

"Welcome, General." He greets his CO.

"Forgive the intrusion, Jack." Hammond begins. As it's off duty he relaxes the strict military courtesy he practices on base.

"You're always welcome," he assures the man. "Besides everyone else is here," he gestures to the dogs and people romping in his yard. "It seems like the place to be."

Hammond chuckles. "That it is." He watches his granddaughters and the black puppy with the white splotch on her nose.

"Looking for a dog, sir?" Jack finally asks. "Cause there's one available."

"Tessa and Kayla have been asking," Hammond admits.

"Well, Mab seems to like them, and you." Jack's casual comment doesn't fool his CO.

Bella comes over and gives the General a quick inspection. Remembering his scent she backs off and sits next to Jack. She looks up at the men and barks once.

Jack grins.

"What does that mean, Colonel?"

"Bella approves."

The General looks down at the dog and to his premier team leader. "Dare I ask what _that_ means?"

O'Neill rocks back on his heels. "You're allowed to adopt one of her kids." He smiles. "Bella is particular about that."

Hammond is skeptical and thinks more likely the protective nature of the Colonel is the culprit. Major Carter wanders over. Bella's tail thumps as the Major strokes her head.

"Did Bella give her approval?" Carter asks.

O'Neill nods.

Carter chuckles. "I guess the General is getting a dog." Bella barks again.

Hammond's eyes widen. Carter nods. "Bella didn't like Nurse Blankenship, two people her vet recommended," Carter explains.

"Don't forget Captain Gray," O'Neill reminds her. Sam winces. The good captain not only failed the Bella test, but got nipped by Merlin when he tried to pick him up. He rounded out the visit by asking Carter out and getting shot down. It was a disaster on many levels.

Hammond looks at the puppy who's being smothered with attention from his granddaughters. All three faces beam with happiness.

"Mab likes you. More importantly, she obeys you." O'Neill tells him.

Hammond is confused. "Obeys me?"

O'Neill nods. "Teal'c, her mother and you are the only ones she always obeys. Everyone else she makes her own decisions." Jack rolls his eyes.

Hammond laughs. "Sounds like someone else I know."

Carter giggles. "And Teal'c will approve."

Hammond relents. "Guess we got a dog." He shakes O'Neill's hand and Bella holds out a paw. Hammond bends down and shakes her paw. "Deal," he tells her. Bella wags her tail.

Hammond joins his granddaughters and Mab. Excited squeals and barks fill the air. Kayla and Tessa hug the General from either side.


	13. Chapter 13

Bella hops in the truck in her usual seat. "I'm just running errands, beautiful." O'Neill tells her. He ruffles her fur. Her black and white coat is glossy and full. He makes a note to have her groomed soon for the summer heat.

He holds open the door, "C'mon out." He tried to wave her out of the truck. Bella stares straight forward.

"I know where Mab gets it," he grumbles. "I'm warning you, dog. We're going to the store, the bank, the vet's."

Her head turns at the word Vet. She stays put though. "Fine," he mutters. "I'm a special forces Colonel. I have enemies on distant planets that fear me." He slides into the driver's seat. "Yet my dog bosses me around." He takes one more look at Bella. "You're sure about the vet, right?" Bella turns her head away. "Okay."

Jack starts his truck up. Mab and Merlin continue to romp in the yard with the dog sitter. He probably could do without the sitter, but the kids like her and he knows Niki needs the money. He told Dix, Siler and Hammond about her as well.

He goes through the bank drive thru instead of going in to the lobby. The excess change he was gonna deposit in his savings will have to wait. Bella props her head on the window frame and sighs. Her ears droop. The warm breeze ruffles the fur on her back.

"You could have stayed home," Jack comments.

The bank teller inside the drive in looks startled. "Pardon me, sir?"

He laughs. "Sorry, talking to my dog," he says into the speaker. Bella barks as if proving she's there.

The teller is at a loss. "Well, have a nice day," The receipt for his deposit comes through the window. Jack puts the truck in gear and heads to the store.

"Now you have to stay here, girl." He rubs her head. Jack rolls down the windows. "Stay, Bella."

She wags her tail in agreement. Bella settles down to guard her truck.

Jack goes through the grocery store as fast as he can. His list isn't extensive; dog food, cereal, milk, beer, steak, bag of salad, water and soda for the team. It's waiting in line that takes the most time. He fiddles with his watch while waiting for the express line to move.

O'Neill shifts from foot to foot. The snap of Velcro has the woman in front of him glaring at him. He grins at her.

Finally he hauls his bags out to the truck. Bella barks happily when she sees him coming. He feeds her a dog biscuit when he gets settled.

Pulling up to the vet's office, Bella growls. "I told you where we were going." Jack defends himself. She turns her head away. "You can stay here if you want," he continues.

Jack gets out of the truck. Bella makes her decision and follows him out. "You don't have to come." Jack rolls his eyes as he realizes what he's doing.

"Hey Jack," his vet greets him. Bella barks. "Hi Bella." Bella stays in the waiting room watching the vet. He grins. She's not his biggest fan.

The vet slides over the paperwork Jack needs for Hammond. "So Mab decided who was going to be her owner, huh?" Dr. Peters chuckles.

"Yeah. The hard part was convincing the General she was serious about adopting him." The vet laughs. Jack's dogs are some of his favorite patients.

"Saw Aria this week." Peters comments. "She's thriving with the Dixon kids."

"Yeah, Dave told me." Jack laughs. "Siler said something about bringing Jester in for his shots."

The vet nods. "Jester Siler is on my books for next week."

Jack snickers at the name.

"Niki still working out?" the vet asks.

"Doing great. She's with the rest of the tribe now. Lainie Dixon asked for her name recently."

Bella pads over to Jack and nudges him. "Okay beautiful." O'Neill takes the paperwork and nods to the vet. Bella herds him back to the truck.

"Fine, I get the hint." Jack grumbles. "I told you where I was going, ya know. But no you had to come with me."

Making an impulse decision he heads to Cheyenne Mountain Park. Soon he and Bella are jogging down a path. Her leash jingles as she trots at his side. Her tongue hangs out of her mouth as she runs. He lengthens his stride to keep up with the dog.

An hour later he guides the truck into the local home improvement store. He's got a few burned out bulbs in the deck lights. Bella sticks close to his heels. She likes visiting the hardware stores for some reason. Luckily this chain is pet friendly. He pokes around in the lightbulb section. Tossing a few different sizes and wattages in his basket he takes a detour through the garden area. Bella sniffs the plants and potting soil. He adds a wilted basil plant to the basket and a small pot. His orphaned herb collection is thriving at home, why not add one more? His dog barks with approval. "Glad you like that one," he jokes.

Finally he's home. The puppies are splayed out on the deck and Niki is reading. Bella squeezes out of the door as soon as it's opened. She makes a beeline to the deck and does some checking. Jack shakes his head. Probably making sure they didn't go to the vet in secret.

He hauls in his groceries and digs into his dogsitting fund for Niki's pay. The pups follow her out to her car barking goodbye.


	14. Chapter 14

Merlin sits proudly at the edge of the flower bed. Even from a distance O'Neill can tell the dog is covered in dirt. He sighs when he sees the hole in the dirt. Merlin has taken to digging lately.

"What am I going to with you?" he asks the dog. Merlin trots over with his tail held high.

"This is not something you should be proud of, dog." He says sternly. Merlin ignores him and waits at the porch door.

"Oh no. You're not tracking all that mud into the house." Jack digs out the hose and the dog pool. Merlin wags his body. He barks and jumps up on Jack. The mud smears all over his jeans. Jack sighs.

"You do this on purpose, don't you?" He rinses the dirt and mud off the puppy. The dog's tongue hangs out to catch the water.

Jack runs into the house for the dog shampoo. When he gets back outside Merlin is sitting in the pool. He shakes his head. "Yeah, you do this on purpose." Jack fills the pool. Merlin rolls over, splashing water over the sides. Jack lathers up the pup with the soap. The scent of coconut fills the air.

He rinses off Merlin's body and tail first. Jack turns the hose attachment to gentle mist and rinses off the puppy's head. Merlin tips his head up, closes his eyes and enjoys the shower.

Jack rolls his eyes. This is the third bath he's had to give Merlin in two weeks. The puppy is a big fan of baths. He strongly suspects that the retriever genes are to blame for this. Merlin has turned into a water dog. He also thinks the dog is bored.

"C'mon out, now." Jack tells him. Merlin hops out of the pool and Jack sprays him one last time to get the rest of the soap off him. Merlin braces and shakes. Water flies everywhere. Jack sighs. Now he's gonna smell like wet dog.

Merlin races up and down the yard, stopping every so often to shake the water off. Finally done he hops up on Jack's lap. Jack moves over on the chair. This has become a routine. Merlin gets a bath and then basks in the sun in the same chair as he does. Merlin inches and wriggles around until his body is wedged next to O'Neill and his head is resting on Jack's leg.

Jack strokes the dog's head. "We need to find you a home, bud," Jack comments. The problem is Merlin is perfectly happy with him. Even if he is bored sometimes. Jack sympathizes. Merlin's not a people dog. He liked bossing his littermates around, perfecting his herding skills, and hanging with Jack. Now that his siblings have homes he's at a loss.

Leaving Merlin sprawled in the chair he fills in the hole. The dog is starting to dig deeper. The dirt is hard packed. Jack loosens some of it with the shovel. He pulls up the dead flower and shakes off the potting soil into the hole. He turns over the dirt and tamps it all down one last time.

Going back to the porch he finds Bella on the other chair. "Where am I supposed to sit?" he asks the dogs.

Bella hops off the chair. "Gee thanks," he grumbles. Bella settles down at his feet. Soon he has two snoring dogs on his deck. He snaps on the radio and listens to his favorite classical station. Dogs, classical music, sun on the deck and his comfortable chair. Jack sighs happily. Soon he drops off into a doze with his dogs.


	15. Chapter 15

Jack waves goodbye to the Hammond family as they back out of his driveway. Mab hopped into the car and her crate, no problem when the general asked. Jack rolled his eyes when that happened. Yet another reason to believe they belong together.

Bella and Merlin are at his side as the car disappears down the street. Jack turns back to the house. Merlin charges onto the porch. Bella stays by his side.

Merlin sits patiently by the front door. He dashes into the house as the door is open. Bella heads into the dining room and collapses into the dog bed. She sighs and shifts. Jack grins as his dog rolls over on her back. For some reason Bella likes to sleep with her feet in the air. It cracks him up everytime. He chuckles as she stretches and all four paws reach for the ceiling.

"Merlin, c'mere bud!" Jack calls out. He wanders the house looking for the puppy. "Where'd he go"? Jack wonders.

He finally finds the dog in his downstairs office, hiding with his squeaky plane under the desk. Merlin stops chewing on the plane as Jack enters the room. The dog growls at him. Jack is startled. He can't remember that happening before.

"What's wrong with you?" He gets down on his scrunches back into the corner of the desk. He growls again and chomps down on the plane. It gives out a loud squeal.

Jack grunts as he shifts position His knees creak and pop as he sits on the floor. He sits quietly waiting for the dog to come out. Merlin takes a few steps. Suddenly the dog jumps into his lap and snuggles in. Jack laughs.

"You're too big for laps anymore, pup." He tells the dog. He settles the dog against him rather than on top of him. The weight of the growing dog is a bit much for his knee. "You miss the rest of the gang?" Jack guesses. Merlin whimpers a little and curls up next to Jack. His warm lanky body presses on his leg.

The doorbell rings and Merlin scrambles away from him and under the desk again. Giving his dog one more puzzled look he levers himself off the floor and climbs the stairs.

The bell rings again. "Yeah, hang on." He throws open the door. Teal'c, Daniel, and Sam stand on his porch. "O'Neill," Teal'c rumbles.

"Hi, kids." O'Neill stands aside to let his team into the house.

Carter heads to the kitchen to drop off the beer she brought. "Daniel insisted on Thai tonight, sir."

He nods. Daniel has been on a spicy food kick lately. Lucky for Jack, he picked up more antacids when he went to the store.

"Food will be here in about half an hour," Daniel tells him.

"That's fine."

Teal'c has been searching for the dogs. "Where are Merlin and Mab?" Bella is still sleeping in her bed.

"Hammond picked up Mab a while ago. Merlin is downstairs in my office." He shakes his head. "He's being weird."

Teal'c turns to him. "Explain." The eyebrows come down and the jaffa glares at him.

Jack shrugs. "He's hiding under my desk. Wouldn't come out for a while and when the bell rang he crammed himself under the desk."

"Sounds like he's afraid," Daniel comments. "Don't dogs hide in small spaces away from loud noises and stuff?"

"Yeah, but there's nothing like that here." Jack shrugs again. "He even growled at me."

"Merlin is going through his normal growth period, O'Neill." Teal'c breaks in.

Daniel's mouth gapes open.

"Do tell, T." Jack gestures at his friend.

"The puppies will experience a time where they suffer from some fear even if the circumstances are normal. I believe humans call it growing pains."

Daniel coughs and starts to say something when Carter shoves a Thai beer at him. "Have a drink Daniel." Daniel recognizes a hint and closes his mouth. He sets the unopened beer on the table.

"You been talking to my vet, again?" Jack asks. Those who know him can detect the smile in his dark eyes.

"I asked the librarian for books on dogs, O'Neill."

"Of course you did." Jack steals Daniel's beer. "So what do they tell you?"

"Merlin is going though a stage of fear. He will outgrow it." Teal'c assures his friends. "If you stay close and continue as normal all will be well." Teal'c sips from the juice O'Neil keeps for him. Jack shrugs. He knows enough about dogs to be sure Teal'c is right.

Soon the laughter and smell of food draws Bella to the living room. She keeps an eye on all the food passing from plate to plate. She scoots closer to the table as the night wears on. Jack has noticed Merlin's paws and nose peeping around the corner of the stairs. He creeps closer and closer until he's under Jack's chair. It seems curiosity and Thai food are stronger than the fear. Sam sees the puppy relax as the Colonel reaches down and rubs Merlin's ears. The dog's eyes close and he curls up, contented. Sam smiles at the pair.

"What's so funny, Carter?" O'Neill sees her smile.

She shakes her head. "Nothing, sir." Like the rest of the litter, Merlin chose his family. She wonders how to tell the Colonel that Merlin is probably afraid of being adopted away from O'Neill, as well as missing his siblings.


	16. Chapter 16

"Dial the gate," O'Neill grits out. The stabbing, burning pain in his leg makes concentrating on anything else difficult.

"But Jack!" Daniel starts to protest.

"Just do it," Jack snarls at his friend. He shifts his weight, tips forward, and pales. Carter slides under his arm to prop him up. She aims a cold glare at Daniel.

Daniel takes in the two officers and hurries off to the gate. Soon the familiar clunk is heard. The two officers sigh in relief. "We should move, sir," she insists. Sam knows he'll have trouble getting to the gate in a hurry. His BDU pant leg is soaked with blood.

"Yeah," Jack grunts out. He slides one leg forward and hops along.

"It would be wise if we left, now." Teal'c comes over the ridge. His staff weapon smokes a little. Not a good sign.

"Daniel!" Jack shouts.

"All clear," the archeologist reports back.

"C'mon, sir." Carter helps the Colonel hop toward the stone steps. He's given up pretending the wound on his leg can take any weight. He leans heavily on Carter while Teal'c guards their backs. He just hopes it doesn't mean surgery.

"Teal'c move out!" Jack calls over his shoulder. The short look he gets reassures him that his team is getting through the gate together. The Jaffa fires off several bursts of staff weapon fire and the enemy backs off.

It gives the team enough time to enter the wormhole. The rushing light and dark, the odd vertigo, the sudden echo of the metal ramp is too much on top of the stabbing pain in his leg, O'Neill collapses on the ramp and empties his stomach.

Through the ringing in his ears and the light head he hears the operations call for a medical team. The iris closes and the scraping gives him the shudders.

"It's okay, sir." Carter's voice sounds from far away. "We're safe. We're in the SGC." He forces his eyes open and sees her face. She smiles at him, but he sees the worry in her eyes.

"Thanks, Major." He manages to whisper. He slumps down onto the ramp. The rushing darkness is too much to fight and he gives in.

Jack wakes up in the infirmary with a throbbing leg, a massive headache and a full bladder. "Oy." He mumbles.

"Welcome back, Colonel." Janet Fraiser greets him.

"Thanks, glad to be here." He slits his eyes open then slams them shut. "Lights!"

"Sorry, sir. Try that."

He opens one eye then the other. The area is darker. Frasier must have hit the lights around his bed. "Better." Jack squirms in the bed. "Umm doc," he begins. "And before you even think it, no bedpans."

Janet is used to this. One of her male nurses helps the Colonel into a wheelchair. They both ignore the complaints and grumbles of the passenger.

Once he has peed, taken some meds and drank enough water to float a cargo plane he starts to feel better. His headache has backed off a little. But that could be the meds kicking in.

"Well sir, infection started to set in. You're on antibiotics for a while. No beer." Janet warns him. He pouts. "I had to put in 16 stitches in your leg. You lost enough blood that we were worried."

"Ah, that explains the IV." Once the searing pain in his leg disappeared a little he noticed the pinching of the IV needle.

"We gave you a transfusion, but you need fluids." Janet tells him. "It also helps with the infection." He assumes that means he's getting some meds through the IV.

His team files in. Each of them look relieved to see him awake.

"How are the dogs?" he asks.

"Nice to see you too, Jack." Daniel grumps.

Carter smiles at him. He's a little blinded at the glory of her smile. "Fine, sir. I was there this morning. I took Merlin and Bella out for a run, fed them, and played fetch."

He sighs in relief. Suddenly what Carter said registers, "Wait this morning? How long was I out?" One part of his brain wonders if someone got photos of Carter and Merlin playing fetch.

"Just about 2 days," Frasier informs him.

"Colonel Dixon and Sgt Siler took turns yesterday." Teal'c says. "They brought Jester and Aria over as well." Teal'c smiles at the memory of the dogs together.

"We worked out a schedule." Carter assures him. She smiles again. "I'm glad you're okay, sir."

Janet shooes his team out after a few minutes. "Okay, Colonel. Bathroom again, then bed."

Jack grumbles and moans, but he's relieved. He's really tired and his leg is aching.

Days later he hops out of Carter's car on his crutches. Janet refused to let him use a cane. She said something about not ruining her handiwork. As he hops up the walk he can hear the dogs barking eagerly.

"Be careful, sir." Carter opens the front door. Jack's not worried about Bella. And he's right. His happy girl comes right up to him and licks his hand on the crutches. Her tail wags madly and she follows him up the porch. Merlin barrelled out the door and is dancing around Carter with his ball lodged firmly in his mouth. Jack chuckles. Carter must play fetch pretty well. He sees Jack and drops the ball. His tail whips wildly. Merlin lets out an explosion of barking as he charges toward him.

The gangly puppy braces to leap on Jack. But the swing of the crutches and the hop forward startles Merlin. The dog backs up into the house wall. It gives Jack enough time to get through the door. Bella follows right behind him. She blocks her son from jumping up on Jack. Merlin retires to the den chair. He curls up with his back to the humans.

Jack smiles. Merlin's way of rebelling and pouting. He's not allowed in the chair. But the pup is probably mad at him because he was gone so long. Jack suspects there was a little fear there too. He lets it slide, mostly cause he's too tired and hurt to try right now.

Merlin has refused all attempts at adoption. Carter told him her theory that Merlin already adopted him. He had to admit it made sense. If the other dogs chose their humans, Merlin probably did too. So the fact that he was gone probably scared the puppy. Merlin's not quite out of the fear stage, yet. Seeing all the strange people in his house probably threw him off. Even if his littermates came home.

O'Neill sighs at the stairs leading to the living room. The sunken living room was a big selling point when he bought the house. Now it's a challenge. He doesn't even want to think about getting down to his bedroom.

"Here, sir." Carter takes a crutch away and slides under his arm. With her support he's able to hobble into the living room and sinks onto the love seat. He swings his leg up on the couch with a grimace. The throbbing increases and then eases as Carter adjusts the pillow under his knee.

"Thanks, Major." His side still burns with the feel of his second in command pressed up against him. Reminding himself he's still her commanding officer can only help.

Bella rests her head on the couch. She nudges his hand. He chuckles and strokes her head. "I missed you too, Bella." She barks softly then curls up in front of the couch.

Carter has been in the kitchen. She comes back with a bottle of water, his meds and some soup. Merlin lifts his head. His nostrils quiver as the steam wafts over to him.

"Smells good, Carter." Jack swallows the pills and makes a face.

"Janet said to take them with food." Carter tells him. He nods. "Thanks." He scoops up some soup and swallows it down. Vegetable beef. He looks over at his second in command and wonders if she cooked. He gets a warm pressure in his chest at the thought.

"Good soup," he comments.

"Lainie Dixon brought it over when she and Dave took their turn with the dogs." Carter explains. "There's more in the kitchen. Siler brought dog food and a lasagne."

Jack smiles. "Tough choice." He jokes. Carter smiles a little.

Merlin shifts on the chair. He's still mad, Jack knows, but he's able to keep an eye on things. The dog will make his way over to him soon to make sure he's okay.

Sure enough once the soup is gone, Merlin hops off the chair and snuffles at the crutches. He spends a long time sniffing Jack. He growls a little at the wound.

"I'll be fine, dog." Jack assures him. Merlin hops up on the couch. He stares at O'Neill. Jack shifts uneasily. "Promise. Dr. Frasier said so." Jack reaches his hand out. Merlin hops down and moves so he can get his head patted. Jack strokes his puppy's head.

"So you gonna forgive me for leaving?" Jack says as he gives Merlin's ears a scratch. The pup grumbles a little. He leans into the pet though.

"Guess not, sir." Carter says. She's grinning at the interaction between her CO and his dog.

He smirks a little. "Eventually." Jack finishes his water, "So Carter, how is this gonna work?"

Sam is startled. "Sir?" She's unsure of what he means.

"Well I can't get downstairs, can't walk the dogs, hell I can barely get up the stairs. Who's taking care of me?" He scowls at the thought.

Carter laughs nervously. "I'm here for a few more hours. I'll take the dogs out, heat up some food." She makes a face. "Teal'c is staying the night."

"Well, I'll be able to get downstairs." Jack mutters. "What about Daniel?"

"He's here tomorrow afternoon." Sam informs him. "Janet and Cassie will stop by tomorrow night. I heard something about a movie."

"Sweet." He smiles a little. "And after Frasier checks me out?"

"We're doing rotations till you can move without the crutches. Siler, Col Dixon, and General Hammond will stop by for the dogs."

Jack nods. He's relieved that someone can take care of his dogs. "Thanks, Sam." He looks up from the soup bowl and smiles at her.

Bella barks and Merlin joins in.

Sam laughs. "Everyone agrees."


	17. Chapter 17

Jack's bored. He's been home a week. His leg injury is healing. Frasier let him use the cane and he's hobbling around his house.

Bella took everything in stride. Merlin, not so much. Once the puppy stopped being mad at him, he followed him all over. Case in point. The dog is whining at the bathroom door.

"Gimme a break, Merlin." Jack says through the door. "Yeah I know you don't pee by yourself, but I do."

The dog barks a few times at him. Jack shakes his head. "I'll be right out." He flushes and then washes his hands.

Merlin spins in a circle as the door opens. Suddenly he stops and heads to the front door. His tail swishes side to side as he sits at the door.

Jack chuckles. Probably one of the team. "If I didn't know you loved me dog, I'd be insulted." He limps back to his couch and waits.

A knock and then a key turning tells him it's Carter. She's the only one who bothers to knock before coming in. "Hi, sir!" she calls.

"In the living room, Carter." Carter watches him shift and sees the flash of pain on his face.

"You're not taking your pills, are you?" she asks.

"So, how's the weather out?" He asks trying to change the subject.

"Sir."

That one word, in that disappointed tone has him flinching. "They make me loopy, Carter. And the leg doesn't hurt that much."

"Tell me you're taking the antibiotics," she demands.

He rears back, stung. "Of course. I take those, some anti inflammatories, plus the over the counter stuff."

Sam rolls her eyes. "At least take one of the pain killers Janet sent you home with. I can stay a few hours with the dogs." She lifts the bag she came in with. "Have my laptop and some paperwork to finish anyway."

He sighs. She's not letting this go. "Fine," he huffs. He hates taking the heavy duty pain pills. He's got a high pain threshold, and he has developed a tolerance for some drugs, but he still doesn't like them. Frasier knows his tolerance for the drugs and sent him home with the highest dose he could stand. It's the fuzzy feeling they bring on. He takes them at night so he can sleep. But in the daytime he gets by without them, mostly.

Sam brings him a water and the prescribed dose of pain pills. The Colonel gulps them down. "See, a good patient." She smiles and heads into the dining room.

She sets up her computer and paperwork. It's more for O'Neill's privacy than any real need for the separation.

Soon she hears him singing to himself. Or maybe the dogs. She thinks Merlin is joining in with barking on the chorus. She muffles a giggle. "I guess the pills do work," she mumbles. The singing trails off in the middle of what she guessed is a trumpet solo.

She stands up and sees that he's fallen asleep on the couch. Merlin is stretched out on the floor next to him.

The pup lifts his head and thumps his tail once when he sees Carter coming down the stairs.

"Wanna go for a run, Merlin?"

He puts his head back on his paws and closes his eyes. That's a no.

Sam smiles. "Okay. You watch over him." She rubs the dog's head.

Bella has appeared at Sam's side with her leash in her mouth. "Okay, girl. Let's run." Sam quickly changes into running clothes and shoes. At the door Bella barks once and then waits. Merlin dashes out of the house, squats, relieves himself, then hurries back in.

Sam laughs. She rubs Bella's ears. "Such a good mom."

The dog looks up at her and grins. Bella heads off the porch, leash trailing behind her. "Okay, let me lock up."

Sam locks the door and joins Bella at the edge of the yard. They start off at a slow pace to get warmed up.

Thirty minutes later they jog back into the yard. Sam unlocks the door and Bella heads to her water bowl. Sam refills the now empty water bowl, tosses Bella a treat, and snags a water out of the Colonel's stash.

Jack is still sleeping on the couch. Sam winces at the position his head is in, knowing he'll have a sore neck. Merlin is still by the couch.

She's gonna have to wake the Colonel up. Bella barks and Jack jerks awake.

"Whaa?" he mutters hazily. He shifts and winces. "Ow."

He opens his eyes and smiles at his second in command. He's a little bleary. "Hey gorgeous."

Sam blushes. Bella barks and noses in for a head scratching.

"Oh hey Carter." He looks a little goofy. "You still here?"

"Yes, sir." She smiles. He was talking to the dog. "How're you feeling?"

He grins at her. "Great," He hums a little. "How're you?"

"Just fine, sir." Sam thinks he should probably eat something. And take some of the over the counter meds instead of Janet's pills. She rummages in the kitchen. Lanie Dixon's lasagne will help. She cuts a few pieces and heats them in the oven.

She fills the dogs' water bowls and tops up the food as the lasagne heats. Merlin trots into the kitchen as soon as he hears the kibble hit the bowl. He laps up water as Sam fills his bowl. The tips of his ears drip with water as he shoves his face into the food bowl.

Sam giggles. "Growing boy, huh pup?" She scratches his back as he eats. Kibble scatters on the floor.

"I'll leave you to it."

Sam pulls out more water and Tylonel. The grunt candy will at least take the edge off.

"Here, sir." She hands him a few pills and an open water. "You must be thirsty."

He grins at her. The heavy duty pills have lowered his guard. "You betcha." His Minnesota accent comes through. He gulps the water and swallows the pills.

The water clears his head a bit. "I'm starving," he realizes.

She nods. "There's some of Laine Dixon's lasagne heating up." Sam checks her watch. "Janet's coming by in an hour to check on you."

He makes a face. "Yes to the food. Not thrilled about the check up."

The oven beeps and the savory aroma of lasagne fills the house. Jack pushes off the couch and limps to the stairs. Hauling himself up the short stairs is easy with the crutches and the railing. He leans on the doorway for a moment. A warm weight leans on his good leg. Merlin stares up at him. The dog nudges him forward.

"Good boy." With Merlin on one side and his crutch on the other he hobbles into the dining room. Carter is pulling the food out of the oven. "Sir!" Her blue eyes have gone wide seeing him collapse in the chair.

"You shouldn't have done that." She scolds. "If you opened your wound, Janet will have you back in the infirmary."

"I'll insist on bringing the dogs, if she does." He threatens. "Hey toss me a treat."

She muffles a snicker at the wording. Sounds like he wants a dog biscuit. It was his sloppy sentences that convince her beyond anything the pain pills affect him.

Sam brings the dogs' favorite chew treat. Merlin sits up and his tail thumps. "Here ya go, pup." Merlin takes the snack from Jack's open palm.

"He's a better walking stick than you are, Carter." O'Neill jokes. "I bet he'd be great as a service dog." He studies the black and white puppy. "He's smart enough."

Sam nods. "It's just he likes you best, sir."

"Good taste."

She chuckles. "Maybe a therapy dog, instead."

Jack rolls his eyes. "I think we both need training for that."

"You're off the mission list till your leg heals." Sam states what everyone knows. "Hammond will give you time." She shrugs and sets the steaming plates of lasagne on the table. Jack digs in. Two helpings later he doesn't feel like he has a hole in his gut. He's gonna have to thank Laine Dixon.

Merlin has lain down next to Jack's chair. His nose twitches at the smell of sauce and meat, but he keeps still. He's fine being close to his favorite person.


	18. Chapter 18

Noise

Merlin looks up at Jack as they cross the parking lot. This new place has some interesting smells. The dog veers off toward the donut shop catching O'Neill off guard. His tongue hangs out as he trots forward.

"No donuts for you." Jack tugs on the leash and gets his dog back on track. Jack takes a longing look at the shop. "For either of us," he says. His leg makes him very careful about his diet these days. He won't be able to get cleared for missions if he starts eating donuts. Or more donuts.

The puppy kindergarten is the other way. His vet recommended this as a start for Merlin's therapy training. While he knows basic commands and walks well on a leash there's a lot of stuff a therapy dog and handler need to know.

The chime of the door startles Merlin and he backs up into the glass.

"It's okay, pup." Jack strokes the dog's head. Merlin glances up again. His tail wags once and droops. "I promise."

Jester bounds in with Siler on the end of the leash. He barks happily when he sees Jack and Merlin. The instructor sighs as Jester drags Siler over to Jack and his littermate. O'Neill snickers. Jester hasn't changed. Which is why he needs kindergarten. Jester sniffs and snuffles his brother. Merlin relaxes. This he remembers. His white tipped tail wags frantically as he examines Jester.

After the rest of the class comes in they line up. Merlin sticks close to him, Jester and Siler. All these other dogs and people throw him. He really prefers people and dogs he already knows.

"Poor pup." Jack rubs Merlin's side. "You'll like this."

After the puppies get settled they try to start with leash work. There's a few dogs that haven't figured out how to walk on a leash, and one(Jester) who likes to chew on his leash while it's on his collar.

Jack laughs at the dog's confusion as someone keeps pulling on his collar. As he once told the team, Merlin was the smart one. Jester was the goofy one.

Jester growls as Siler removes the leash from his mouth. "Hey, who watches tv with you," Siler admonishes the puppy. Jester's tail droops and he lets go of the leash. Siler strokes the dog's back and Jester looks up and grins at his friend.

"He's a forgiving sort," Jack comments.

Siler chuckles. "Cause I control the remote," he says. Jack laughs remembering Jester's nosing of his remote. "He still like…" Jack starts. He stops seeing Siler shake his head. "Don't say it, sir!" His eyes widen as he shakes his head.

"Guess so." Jack grins. Siler laughs. "He'll pout all the way home, if you say it."

As Jack expected once Merlin gets the hang of the commands he soars to the head of the class. Jester takes a little longer. He's smart, just more interested in getting to know his fellow classmates. Sniffing and circling the other dogs he gets growled at a few times. The Shiba Inu pup snaps at him. Jester whimpers and backs off. He snuggles up to Merlin for comfort.

The instructor recommends a harness for Jester. The regular collar isn't cutting it. Siler nods. His arms get sore with the pulling. Jester is more social than his brother and sisters. Plus Jester still is prone to dashing off and choking himself when he comes to the end of the leash.

The next few classes go well. The big surprise for Merlin was the noise. He really doesn't like loud noises. Gunfire, thunder, fire engines and fireworks send him into Jack's office under the desk. He's not fond of doorbells either. The first time the instructor brought out the drum he freaked. He bolted for the door but couldn't get out.

Jack had to sit with him for 10 minutes in the office before he calmed down. Then the handbells and the whistles. Merlin hid under his desk the next time they were going to class. Now he has homework. Not Merlin. Him. Jack O'Neill. He has to desensitize his dog to loud noises. Merlin hasn't been hanging out with him a lot.

"Merlin!" He calls as he enters the house. "C'mere, pup!" Bella bounds up to him for a greeting. Merlin remains hidden. Jack sighs. Merlin's probably in his office.

Jack stops short as the office door is closed. He knows he left it open this morning. Opening the door he sees Merlin hiding under the chair. Now his dog is learning to close doors. Well he is the smart one. "If he starts locking it, I got trouble." He mumbles. Making a note to tell Carter to figure out how to stop that he opens the door.

"Hey, bud."

Merlin barks hysterically at him. Jack grins. Merlin doesn't like OTHER loud noises, but will bark loudly. "I know. You're mad at me. Okay, no noise today." He thinks about it. "No loud noises."

He shouts to be heard over his near insane dog. "Let's go out!"

Merlin keeps barking. Jack sighs. "Play ball!" he shouts to the pup. Merlin stops in mid bark as if someone hit a mute button.

"Ah peace." He sighs. The dog barrels up the stairs. He barks a few times to hurry everyone up. Jack follows. He snags a few tennis balls and the rubber one. Bella is sitting at the door. She's happy to see him licks his hand and sticks close to him. Nothing bugs Bella too much.

Once the dogs relieve themselves and run around a bit, Merlin goes back to the porch. Jack tosses the balls a few times while Merlin watches. He wants to be sure there's no loud noises this time. Finally the lure of the ball is too much and he picks one up and chews on it. He noses it down the steps and trots after it.

Jack picks up the slobbery, hairy tennis ball and wings it over the yard. Merlin barks excitedly and chases after it. He loves to chase the flying ball and nose it around after it bounces.

Suddenly Merlin bolts back to the house.

"What is your problem, dog?" Jack asks. Merlin is cowering at the door. Then he hears it. The rumble of the garbage truck. The truck stops down the block. The crash of the trash cans, the crushing of the compactor and the beeping of the vehicle backing up in the cul de sac.

He sits on the top step of the porch. Merlin growls at him.

"Hey, it's trash day. And it's not that loud." Jack defends himself. "And you're gonna have to get used to noise." He tells the pup. "We can't live in Minnesota all year."

Merlin covers his ears with his paws. He really doesn't like loud noise. Jack wonders if it reminds the puppy of being on the side of the highway, cold and hungry with all the cars and trucks going by.

Jack grins at the thought of making the base shrink diagnose his dog. Be about MacKenzie's speed. Merlin snuggles up to him as the truck gets closer and the noise gets louder. He can feel the dog tremble. Bella sits at the base of the steps. Her nose quivers at the scents of the truck. She barks twice at them and wags her tail. She hops off the porch and gets closer to the truck. She sits on the end of the driveway and greets the trash guys with tail wags.

"I got the only dog who likes the mail carrier and the trash guys," Jack grumbles as he watches her fondly.


End file.
